Crib Talk

James has begun to talk to himself when he is alone in his bed. Usually it's when he wakes up and is playing in his crib. I believe his little monologues may be helping him make sense of his day. At least, that's my theory. I know there is evidence (somewhere...there's gotta be!) that shows that small children who chatter to themselves are re-creating their world by retelling and interpreting key experiences, such as being left at day care or playing with his toys. By talking these experiences over, James finds meaning in them and this, in turn, enhances his developing sense of self.

These special musings are part of James' growing emotional and cognitive skills. So I decided to really listen to what he had to say without interrupting. You can understand my surprise when I heard my own scolding voice in his baby talk "you sit in time out for 2 minutes" and then an imitation of my comfort talk "sorry, hug you!" He's going over everything that happened to him, which naturally included what goes on in our family which now-a-days includes many time outs! So I could just picture him sitting there in his crib with hisn Lightening McQueen car putting the Chic car into a time out! Sooo cute!!!