prefers little to no clothes... runs from me when I say it's time to get dressed. tries to take off as soon as he is naked for bathtime. which usually results in him peeing on the floor.
loves his tonka dump truck. drags it everywhere in the yard, fills it with rocks and water and dumps it out.
loves his dog. "dog" is pretty much the only word he says consistently. these pictures of him playing with kali's food were taken before realizing he was chewing on dog chow himself. awesome.
only ever wants to play outside. is for some reason totally obsessed with brooms. he thought he was so helpful while cleaning out the garage.
i love my little boy.
i am however, feeling a little frustrated these days. boston is 17 months old now and is basically refusing to talk. he says "dog" all the time, and sometimes says "ball" and occasionally says "shoes". he hears just fine... he totally understands what i'm saying but he laughs at me when i try to get him to say words. he won't learn animal sounds or body parts (nose,eyes,mouth etc...) and he is just barely getting to the point where he wants to be read to. it is hard to feel like a good mom when my son is not doing all the things other kids his age and younger are doing. everyone keeps telling me not to worry and every kid is different, etc. but the truth is that i'm not really worried about him, i'm frustrated! i feel like it must be my fault and maybe he doesn't get enough attention and maybe i don't read to him enough or maybe he doesn't play with other kids as much as he should. i have even had a few people tell me about some kids who don't talk until they are 2, and they are just fine. i want to CRY when i hear that. if he is one of those kids, we are in for a VERY long year! it's not only aggravating for me to not know what he wants, but it is for him. he gets so mad when i don't know what he needs! some days it seems like i spend most of the day trying to figure out what he wants to tell me. anyway... anyone with advice who also has/had a stubborn child, i'm listening.
16 comments:
At the daycare where I work, we teach kids "Baby Sign Language". When we ask children if they want "more", for example, we also make the sign for "more" - and eventually (it doesn't come immediately) the children use the sign for "more" to indicate to us that they want more. This is a great way to have a child communicate their wants before they are speaking.
Here is a glossary http://www.babies-and-sign-language.com/glossary-photos.html
or you could make up your own signs!
What a cutie...and don't worry...Kaylee doesn't talk either...she can say Dadda, and that's it!! So we can be frusterated together!! :)
I love your wedding pictures from your previous post! You were a gorgeous bride!!! What temple was that?? B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L.
Try not to get frustrated, sister...I know that is easier said than done. But it really really is true that kids all do things at different ages when they are good and ready. And I can definitely tell you that it has NOTHING to do with you as a mother because you are a WONDERFUL mother to BOTH your babies. Just keep doing what you are doing, talking to him a lot, trying to get him to say words, reading to him everyday, and maybe start teaching him some signs. It's never too late to teach them sign language...
Good luck, sister! We miss you guys! Boston looks so cute in these pictures! I just wanna hug him! :)
it's funny how one day i think Q is a freaking genius and other's i am worried she is mentally challenged! :) it is frustrating sometimes when you feel like they should be progressing faster or differently. that's how i felt w/ Q and crawling/walking. she took her sweet time. i was so worried/frustrated. she also now mostly babble. she can say a lot of words, but just won't say them. try not looking at him or talking to him until he talks to you....haha jk!! sorry, i have no advice or help. i'm sure it is one of those things that you just keep doing what you are doing, telling him words and what they mean, and eventually he will say them too. good luck. you're a good mom.
Brooklynn was very similar to this and still is. She dose what she wants in her own time. It can be so frustrating. I finally used flash cards with pictures of everyday things that would happen and for a while she would just point to them so we could communicate that way but, when she was ready she said what was on her mind and hasn't quit talking since then. Good luck!
I absolutely love that picture of him eating dog food! His face is so cute how will you ever be mad when he starts to really do boy stuff like breaking things?!
I think teaching him sign language is an awesome idea but make sure you still say the word when doing the sign. But, rest assure my nephew was the same way and when he started talking he would talk in sentences. He was just observing and liked that better than talking.
Jackson is the same - he always refused to learn - he would get mad when we would try and get him to say words - he would bury his head in the ground or pillow. i just had to be patient :) Boys will be boys, they are only interested in dirt and things with wheels! Who cares if he won't talk he is as cute as can be!
I think the flash card idea Kristi mentioned sounds awesome!
We were with my niece today who just barely turned 1 and she can say like 100 words....made me want to cry as Max can say just a few!! Very frustrating...they are just soaking it all in I guess!
We have the same problem with Kamryn and she turned 2 a few weeks ago. She says maybe 5 or 6 words. She understands everything we are saying, will tell us what sounds different animals make and knows all her body parts, but she refuses to speak actual words! We think her tatrums are partly caused by her frustration over us not being able to understand her. Usually we tell her she needs to show us what she wants and that works most of the time.
I've heard that sign language CAN work to a point, but sometimes it can hinder them speaking as well because it's easier to sign the word rather than speak it. I don't have personal experience though. Good luck!
I can pretty much tell Jase will be the same way. I have been teaching him signs for like 6 months now and he KNOWS what they mean when I do them but WILL NOT use the signs himself. He is just being stubborn! He has been a little later with sitting up crawling and everything. When he was ready though he just all of a sudden did it. I don't really have any advice, just telling you I understand :)
Wish I had advice to give.... Sam was a bookworm, and could say hundreds of words by 18 months. Alex on the other hand, won't sit still to have me read him a book, isn't interested in talking a lot yet, and thinks crawling is way better than walking, because it's faster. I stress over EVERYTHING, and I too feel that same frustration. Every mother does. If they don't, they're not human!
Sam loved his flashcards though, so that is a good thought. Gary taught Sam his colors with M&M's. He had to say the color before he could eat it. Maybe some type of bribery might help.... who knows, I'm not above bribery!
You are a wonderful mother, and your children know that.... even if they can't say it!
I wish I could offer you some advice, but I don't have kids yet. Just a few more months though! I just had to tell you that I bought a little outfit for our little boy that said, "I dig trucks" on the shirt...and when I saw the picture of Boston and his Tonka truck, it made me giggle and think of the shirt! Boys will be boys! :)
He's so adorable! - just keep posting these pictures - that's all I have to say :)
I too would be frustrated. My cousin's little girl didn't start talking till she was about 2. She knew how, but didn't "need to" because she had 3 older brothers who always knew exactly what she wanted. So, a little different situation, but just as frustrating.
As far as him being naked, at least he's not stripping and running down the street naked. That was me at that age for a couple years. My mom would dress me after a bath and seconds later when she would go to the kitchen or something, I was out the door, jumped on the big wheel and was stripping all the way down the street. With a trail of clothes down the street, friends and neighbors were constantly calling my mom and saying, "Karen, your daughter is down the street naked again".
Kids will be kids and they are so silly!!
My kids still will hardly sit still to read a book (they are 21 months). and they are just now "talking"... seriously every single day it gets bettter and better. at 17 months i would not even worry, maybe you need to hangout with regular kids and not super genius ones that will make you feel better :) my kids only said words like dog and shoes at 17 months... dont get too frustrated :)
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