Talkative
I was at Target getting groceries this weekend with the two little ones. Wes in the buggy (shopping cart for those of you not from the South) and Nikki walking along beside me. It was the same drill it always is for us, a constant parade of conversation from aisle to aisle. Sometimes Wes freaking out about the dog in the photos above the refrigerated sections. Sometimes Nikki trying to figure out some way to convince me to buy [insert random pink item here] for her because she TOTALLY NEEDS IT. Other times we’re talking about non-grocery related tasks like the upcoming days and what we have planned or the next meal and what we’re going to eat. I sometimes stop and wonder if other families are as talkative as we are. Especially when it’s been just me and a baby doing the same amount of talking. YES. I’m that Mom. The one that even when her kid is not old enough to hold up his head, I’m saying things to him going through the store like, “Don’t let Momma forget the oatmeal.” Or, “I can’t remember if we’re out of orange juice or not.” I never really expect a response, of course, it’s just the way I’ve always been. It’s an instinct in me, I guess, to chat with my kids. Even if they’re not old enough to chat back.
So…this weekend. We were rounding an aisle and a lady stopped me and said, “I just want to tell you I think it’s wonderful how much you talk to your children. I’ve been listening to you all and you talk to them, and they talk to you, and you respond and it’s such a joy to hear. Sometimes I see parents and children out and about and no one is even looking at each other, much less talking.” I was overwhelmed with appreciation at this stranger’s praise but I said while laughing, “Well…we are quite a talkative family!” She smiled sincerely and said, “And I wanted to compliment you on just that.” I thanked her and we went our separate ways. Nikki immediately said, “What was she saying?” while Andy starts waving, “Bye! Bye!” I guess to prove her point – we never shut up.
Whatever it means that I talk to my kids a lot, I’m glad I do it. Do I often also tell them to, “Be Quiet!” Yes. OH MY GOD…YES. Nikki’s favorite game is the quiet game and I use that to every advantage I can, because sometimes? I need it to be quiet. But a lot of the times? I don’t. And I’m glad we’re quite chatty. And I’m glad there are people possessed by so much kindness in the world that they feel the need to pass on compliments to strangers. I’m going to try to repay the woman by complimenting as many strangers as I can this week.
By the way…have I told you your hair looks great today?
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And now…random photos that relate to nothing above! Enjoy!
This is just one of the many moments I catch of my kids just loving each other. I’m so glad they get along so well.
Paint party on the front stoop.
This top was made from parts of the 100+ year old dogwood that has recently succumbed to time/sickness/aging. (Here is a photo of it in it’s prime here) The tree means a lot to me for many reasons, so I made sure to buy a handful of items a local artist made from the wood. I bought each of the kids a top and Wes has decided it’s his favorite toy EVER.
I read something yesterday that said that kids who grow up in talkative households are smarter, and it doesn’t even matter what you’re saying to them as long as you’re talking! So good job making your kids smarter!
I always talk loads to the kids I babysit whether they can respond or not – It’s nicer than just sitting there lol.
Thats so nice of that lady
Everyone is so quick to say something mean but when someone says something nice you have to hang on to that with both hands.
Talking to your babies is one of the best things you can do for their language development. I used to work with kids who had developmental delays and I was amazed at how many parents I had to teach to do that. It isn’t instinct for many people! So being that mom who talked to your infants is exactly what led to being that family who chats all the time in Target today. Very cool!
I love those pictures. But I’m sorry to hear about the old tree. You’ve always taken such great pictures of it, too.
I talk to my kid all the time, too. And people do tend to give me a look like – hey, you’re crazy.
I’m a bit confused by your category for this post…
I talk to mine all the time too. Years ago I read an article in a parenting magazine that said talking to your baby helps their language development. I thought it was so strange that people needed to be told to talk to their children.
It was so sweet of that lady to comment on your family. That’s something you’ll always remember. Once, about 5 years ago, a lady in the supermarket came up to me and commented that she was happy to see the way I treated my husband (he was having a really rough day so I was just patting his back and talking sweet to him). She said maybe if she had showed such kindness to her own husband he wouldn’t have divorced her. She was filled with such sorrow over her loss and I’ll never forget her or the comment she made.
That’s such a nice lady at Target, that story is really touching, am so glad to have the chance to listen to that nice experience u had. ^^ there’s so much sibling love in the picture of Nikki and Wes that it’s beautiful to look at!! ^^ by the way, the top that Wes is playing with looks adorably colorful!! from the stunningly beautiful tree!!!~~~
I have always talked to my daughter in a normal “non-baby-talk” voice. We would be driving or in the stores and I talked to her all the time. Now she is 9 and does very well in school.
I work in a daycare and it is amazing how many people don’t talk to their children. They just see then as an accessory–not a human being. Sad.
what they said! and the parroting makes foreign languages easier when they grow up. Seriously. Yeah, I’m Chatty Cathy, too. I think it’s nice. No stony silences over here
When I started reading this post, before I got to what the lady said to you, I was thinking that same thing to myself. About how much I love to see families that talk like that. It is so much better than the parents that ignore their kids and spend the whole time on the phone.
I am shy enough that I would not have stopped you to compliment, but I would have smiled at your family in passing, and thought to myself “that is so wonderful”
I always talked to my kids while shopping — whether they could talk back or not. I remember an experience similar to yours, where another shopper (or maybe it was a store worker) complimented me on the fact that I talked to my children the way I did.
Don’t we all have a running commentary in our heads while shopping, even if we have a list? When I had a kid with me I could verbalize that running commentary without it looking like I was a crazy woman talking to herself. But I also did it because I wanted my kids to learn language, logic, and know what’s going on in their world. For example, if you want your kids to be smart comparison shoppers, they need to see you doing (and talking about) that comparison. If you want them to read labels and avoid certain unwanted ingredients, it helps if they see you doing that. Granted these last two examples are more for kids who can read, or who are old enough to grasp the idea that certain ingredients are bad for our health, but it’s all simply a matter of modeling good behavior, which they won’t understand without your narrating it.
So even if your kids aren’t talkers, you still want them to be good listeners, to learn about the world around them. They aren’t going to learn language unless they hear it.
You probably wouldn’t be such a wonderfully prolific blogger if you weren’t all talkative anyway
You just seem like such fun people to hang out with. Maybe someday, if I’m ever way the heck down there (west coast Canada to southeast US … yeaaaah. 
)
I carry on full conversations with my almost 1 month old and did the same thing right from the start with my 3 year old. She is a HUGE talker! Oh – she loves the “quiet game” too – although it is usually when I am trying to have a meaningful discussion with my husband! Guess she only likes us talking to HER!
Last week I was at a restaurant with two friends and my 2 year old daughter. As we were leaving an older gentleman came up and thanked me for talking to her. He started to explain, and then thought better of it and just said “Thank you” again.
It never occurred to me that it was something I should be thanked for.
I talk to Jasper All. The. Time. We’re basically the same way–whenever we go anywhere, I’m talking to him. Now that he’s slooooooooooooowly starting to respond (I’m happy with anything) it’s getting more interactive.
I am totally that mom too…actually I joked that the whole reason I had kids was so that I wouldn’t appear to be talking to myself in the store.