Talkin' with Jack

Our daughter Jenn and grandson Jack came to stay with us for about 10 days. We had a wonderful visit. It's nice having extended time like this. We obviously wish they lived closer. but when they come from Japan it's more than just a visit. We're part of their lives and share the whole experience.

When Jenn and Jack showed up last week I was really impressed with how much Jack was talking. I couldn't understand a word of it, but boy did he like to talk. He's 21 months old so I guess it wasn't supposed to make sense. I heard "Mommy, frazzabalablahblah". Mommy understood all of it. "You want eggs florentine and mashed peas?" Really, how does she figure that out?

After a couple of days I started to catch on. He has loads of words for things, and is starting to actually make some sentences. Here's a sample of his vocabulary.

"coppa" -- helicopter, or anything that flies. Birds, planes, bugs, and of course helicopters are all coppas.
"puppy" -- Dogs of any sort
"heme" -- help me
"truss" -- truck, meaning cars, trucks, bicycles, etc.
"I shy" -- outside. This could mean he wants to go outside, he sees something outside, etc.
"nummy" -- Anything good to eat.

Now being the observant type, I quickly noticed one important omission from his vocabulary -- He hadn't learned "Grandpa". We quickly set to work remedying that problem, and by the second day I heard a steady stream of "Gampa! Where Gampa? Ganpa! Where Gampa" all through the house.

Another thing I had forgotten about children this age: Their boundless energy and short attention spans. Here's a fairly typical conversation.

"Gampa, gampa, GAMPA!"
"Yes Jack?"
"Coppa"
"You see a helicopter?"
"Gampa heme"
"what do you need?
"Gampa truss" (runs over to door, pretends he's going into the backyard)
"Gampa nummy"
"Do you want some..."
"GAMPA!"
"Yes?"
"Coppa"

And the cycle repeats. Over and over and over. Jenn handles it with an amazing Zen-like calmness. Remarkable really. Her patience with him is a real testament to a Mother's love.