The Most Wonderful Conversations of All
By Angie Ditsler
I’m sitting here at my desk reflecting back over the last few weeks about interesting people I’ve met or conversations I’ve had. Sure, I’ve had a lot of conversations with coworkers and volunteers about work-related matters and big projects coming up. I’ve also spent plenty of time talking to my husband and friends about the recent primary elections and our impending vacation coming up in a couple days. However, the most memorable conversations I’ve had in recent weeks have been with my 22-month-old nephew Jack.
Now don’t get me wrong; talking to Jack isn’t quite the same as talking to Warren Buffet, but in a lot of ways Jack makes me think and laugh just as hard. I usually don’t make it up to Cincinnati more than once a month to visit him so I treasure the time we get to spend together. When I last saw him on April 14, Jack was talking a mile a minute although I couldn’t understand a word he was saying. This time, when I went to wake him up from his nap on Saturday and asked him if he knew who was waiting downstairs to see him, he not only listed every relative in three generations and our pets, but he also raised his little eyebrows and looked me square in the eyes and said, “I throw the ball?” (It actually sounded more like, “I fro da ba?”) I immediately knew Jack was referring to our dog Dubs whom he loves to play fetch with when we come to visit.
I was stunned! I understood every word he said. Not only that, but I couldn’t believe he was putting three and four words together to form phrases and sentences already. In just a few short weeks, Jack had expanded his vocabulary by at least a dozen words and was actually able to carry on brief conversations- of course, they were about things like doggies, bath time, and his baby sister Cece. Still, it was the first time I had to pause and think, “Wow, the Little Man is really growing up.”
Watching Jack grow has been the most exciting thing to happen in my life so far. It’s amazing to see how much he’s learning and how quickly he’s changing every time I see him. Jack is a daily reminder of how important the first six years of a child’s life truly are. He’s a vacuum to the words, behaviors (and, yes, even dance moves) that are modeled around him. Every sound, sight, touch and taste is a learning experience for Jack- and it’s an absolute delight watching him learn.
For more information about the importance of early childhood visit www.metrounitedway.org/successby6.
