way to roll with the punches, kid

sometimes i wonder if my two-year-old actually understands what she is trying to say some of the time. 'cause for the most part, no one else does. except, of course, for her immediate family - myself and her mother and sister. that became obvious this afternoon at my brother's home as two engaged in one conversation after another with various members of her extended family.

at one point, my sister-in-law asked my youngest if she wanted another bagel and cream cheese (don't ask - thanksgiving tradition). two responded by mentioning that she preferred another handful of smartfood instead. now i understood the kid's reply. my wife understood the kid's reply. even my seven-year-old understood the kid's reply. but to my sister-in-law, i guess her niece seemed to indicate that yes, she wished to have another bagel and cream cheese. 'cause that's exactly what happened next. yup, my brother's better half proceeded to grab another raisin bagel from the brown paper bag on the kitchen counter. then she cut it in two holding the same knife she would use to spread the cream cheese with a few seconds later. and when she eventually handed the roll-with-a-hole to my daughter, i could tell that two was a little perplexed by the sudden turn of events. after all, the kid requested some more cheese-flavoured popcorn, not another bagel and cream cheese.

but to her credit, my daughter responded with tact and graciousness, even thanking her aunt for the unwanted treat despite her obvious disappointment. an yet the unintentional slight highlighted an even more pressing concern. two is almost three now, and i am beginning to wonder if her speech difficulties will ever resolve themselves. indeed, the therapist had all but promised us that we would see noticeable improvements by this stage of her development.

of course, leave it to my mother to shed some valuable perspective on the issue. for when i whispered to her that i was becoming increasingly worried over the state of my daughter's pronunciation troubles, the woman who gave me life reminded me, yet again, that i, myself, had scarcely uttered an intelligible word before my third birthday. besides, my mother added, as long as her family understands her, my daughter has nothing to worry about.

"you know what i'd like to be? a cartoon of some kind. you know, like when they get hit in the head with a frying pan or something, and their head looks like the frying pan, with the handle and everything? then they just go 'booiing' and their head comes back to normal? wouldn't that be great?" - breaking away (1979)