The Words They Choose
It's amazing how toddlers have a supernatural ability to ignore every word you've been desperately trying to teach them... and somehow memorize the one word you wish they hadn't heard.
You spend months with flashcards.
"Daddy."
Silence.
"Mommy."
Nothing.
"Please."
Blank stare.
"Thank you."
Not a chance.
Then you accidentally stub your toe on the coffee table.
The next morning, your sweet little angel strolls into breakfast, drops their spoon, looks you dead in the eyes, and perfectly enunciates the one four-letter word they've apparently been studying all week.
Flawless pronunciation.
No hesitation.
Used correctly in context.
Outstanding.
Where was that enthusiasm for "good morning?"
Kids have an incredible gift for identifying the words that get the biggest reaction. It isn't that they're trying to be naughty—they're tiny scientists running experiments. They say something, everyone freezes, someone coughs, another person tries not to laugh, and suddenly they've discovered the verbal equivalent of pushing the big red button.
Experiment successful.
Repeat seventeen times before lunch.
The funny part is that we spend so much energy trying to teach children language, only to discover they're actually teaching us. They're always listening. They're watching our faces. They're learning that words have power long before they understand what those words mean.
It's a humbling reminder that they aren't just hearing what we say when we're talking to them.
They're hearing everything.
So if your toddler unexpectedly drops a colorful word in the middle of the grocery store, don't panic. Just remember that somewhere in the hundreds of beautiful, thoughtful conversations you've had around them, that was apparently the one vocabulary lesson that really resonated.
Kids are funny like that.
Bob's Thought: Children rarely repeat the words you've been practicing. They repeat the ones that made the biggest impression—and that's a good reminder that they're always listening, even when we think they're not.