Selective Learning

As a mom, I really don't expect a one and a half year old to be able to know much. And as it turns out, I was wrong about this. Babies and toddlers are constantly learning, taking things in, and I guess I am oblivious to know what "exactly" they are learning and putting in their little memory cards to use when you least expect it.

I keep up to date on the age thing by looking at different sites and seeing what milestones most children Bea's age are doing. However, I try not to compare either, because each child does learn at a different pace.

It's incredible to me sometimes when I sit down with her and her huge Elmo book and see the things she can identify. The book is one of colors and objects, so one page has an illustration with objects in red, another in purple, etc. It's gotten to the point of where I don't need to ask her to find an object. She will open the book and start pointing and talking. Before I can even ask, she's saying and pointing to a balloon, ball, flower, Elmo, bow-wow (dog), shoe, etc. I do double-take's constantly. This is an amazing thing to see, and how is she learning all of this?

Sometimes she wants no part of the book or doing anything that might be constructive in developing those learning skills. In fact, she has "learned" that the remote control somehow makes her Dora cartoons play on the television. She's learned how to use Tivo. What have I done to her?

I have to say that it really isn't anyone's fault. Because she's been sick so much, we let her do what she wanted, and because she never had too much energy, television kept her occupied (and happy). It's a routine with this, too. When the program ends and the screen pops up that asks if you want to delete it or save it, it makes the Tivo beep. She hears the beep and immediately say's "uh-oh". Uh-oh, as in "you better start a new episode or there's going to be some hell to pay." That's one thing. If the television is off and she's interested in seeing her cartoons, she will find the Tivo remote, bring it to you, and say "Dora?" You can see it unfold pretty dead-on in this picture:


The handing of the remote to me and the words in her mouth forming "Dora". Incredible. Smart? You could say so.

Why can't she sing the ABC's or learn how to take out the garbage, or maybe fold some of the neverending laundry? Of course, I'm dreaming. Even though Dora is a learning cartoon, as an adult it get's a little old knowing the story plot and what is going to happen in the first 30 seconds of the program.

Did I mention that she is also getting pretty good at pressing the "correct" buttons on the Tivo remote in order to get to her recorded programs? That's a story for another day, my friends.