Warning: your child may actually remember everything you ever say.
When are people paying attention? When are they not? For better or worse, watch what you say.
There’s No Place I’d Rather Be [Rhodes, Greece]
Lu and I were in the pool and I wanted to make sure that he didn’t think that I just liked the song, but that it truly meant very much to me. The words weren’t just lyrics, they were a way of life. I told him as much in so many words. I reminded him that since grandpa is no longer with us, we need to remember that life can be taken at any time so we need to enjoy everyday of it.
“Oh, net zoals je laatste chip?” (Oh, just like your last chip?”)
Warning: kids actually hear what you say. They might even listen. They could even remember.
At first, I was shocked that he even remembered my speech at my dad’s memorial service. But then again, this was Lu: he remembers things. Then again, most kids remember things that you wouldn’t think they would remember. They’re kids, their brains are sponges and there’s so much room in there for all kinds of stuff. They also know how to, well, subconsciously, retrieve more information than we do. They don’t force their memory and “think back” but they just grab it when they need it. It’s a much more efficient system.
The kid can’t remember that bouncing a volleyball in the hallway makes so much noise for everyone on the floor. He can’t seem to remember to put on his shoes or have any idea where they are. But he can remember that you need to appreciate every day and he can quote something from a speech his father gave about his grandfather more than a month ago and bring his father to tears in a swimming pool 7,289 miles from home.
