Thursday, October 30, 2008

Of Kids and Brains



Nikki Dee's first semi-cognizant (meaning that she did experience it less consciously last year and will experience it more consciously in years to come) encounter with the snow did not go over all that well. Perhaps you can tell by the look on her face. It probably wasn't so much the snow itself but just one of dem dere days.

Changing the topic a little, the kid has surprised me twice lately. Last week, we were playing one of her songs, and Cuppa did what we often do at the end of a song; she clapped. Well, didn't the kid give her a weird look as if to say, "What the heck are you doing grandma?" And she was right, for the song picked up again for another line or two before the real ending, and then she clapped. It was a titch humbling doncha know?

And just yesterday, I was sitting with her on the couch watching Elmo with her when she began to giggle. She jumped onto the floor with a big smile on her face. Lo and behold, one of her favourite segments came on next, and she was all primed for it. We have quite a few Elmos taped, and from the spot that I had just seen, I couldn't guess what was coming next, but she knew.

I was shocked. These kids are smart let me tell ya. A lot smarter than we usually give them credit for. That's why we adults need to exercise some care in our words and actions.

8 comments:

Ruth said...

Small children are very observant and focus well. The details my children remember from their childhood surprise me. If adults concentrated on one thing at a time, they would retain more details too. (But I am sure your wee one is exceptionally smart!)

methatiam said...

keep in mind, we are talking ELMO here! the truely important things are worth the effort of learning!

Smart and cute... deadly combination that :-)

Simply Coll said...

OMG... you've had your first snow fall already. You actually beat us.. and I must say.. that is one race I am happy to have lost. :-)

I love hearing of your experiences with the little one. Four more weeks and I should be telling similar tales. :-)

Janet said...

Both of mine have been surprising me consistently with how observant they are. They talk about kids having short attention spans, but that hasn't been my experience. And yes, they can hear a song a couple of times, and they KNOW it.

Mary said...

She is a darling. She was probably just having a bad day, but I'm glad you took her out anyway.

Kids are so smart these days and yes, they know things we don't think they know. Even at a young age they comprehend things that surprise us.

Thanks so much for sharing. This was definitely a bright spot in my morning.

Blessings,
Mary

Dale said...

I'll be watching this space, AC, in anticipation of Hallowe'en photos. She'll be adorable, no doubt.

dabrah said...

It always used to amaze me how much my kids could remember with very little effort.

Like Dale, I can't wait to see the Halloween photos.

Woman in a Window said...

We always come across as a bit addled to the younger ones. Circle of life doncha know?