Today as my son slept the last bit of his nap, and my daughter decidedly did not nap, I – on the computer, as I often do during their naps, am attempting to get some peace and my daughter talks to me from the bed mere feet away. I open a Word document, font Times size 112, turn my screen to her, and type:
GO TO SLEEP
My daughter is reading very well for her age; she is intrigued by my game and reads each word. “Me?” she asks. I nod my head, type:
OR I WILL SPANK YOU
She is officially delighted. A few more phrases, “Mama loves you”, etc. Type a word, pause. She goes back and reads them in series. Soon:
MAMA NEEDS A KISS
ON THE CHEEK
Amping it up a bit:
DINNER TONIGHT IS ENCHILADAS
Sophie continues to amaze me by reading every word, slowly, but gets stuck on the last on this particular missive, of course. I allow her a few times of sounding it out and once she gets what it says, she wrinkles her nose: “I don’t want enchiladas! I want a quesadilla!”
NO DINNER FOR YOU THEN
And so on. I feel kind of sinister. She loves it. Communicating without speaking – by sign language, reading, drawing pictures, or making animal sounds – is a thrill for her.