Speech & other things

Having someone call me 'mummy' is music to my ears, i feel extremely blessed and grateful at so many levels. For one, to have someone to love and to love me unconditionally and so pure is just mind blowing. For another, it's a reminder how far sonshine has come with his speech progress.

Sonny boy's speech has always been slow. I remember 2 years ago, he could barely call me 'mummy'. He was already 2.5 years old, where most toddlers would be stringing sentences or phrases. Mine couldn't even manage the basic 'mummy, daddy'. I cried my eyeballs out, worried my brain cells out for him. He would make odd sounds like 'ngg, ggng' all without vowel sounds. But he began to slowly learnt how to to use his oral muscles to make certain sounds and eventually to where he is now.

I wouldn't say he has reached to his peers' level. He still finds it challenging to put his thoughts into words. Sometimes he may even compose his sentence erroneously like 'when i come to school, mei mei (little sister) don't want to destroy your lego'. He meant when he goes to school, he doesn't want his sister to destroy his lego. Sometimes, i cannot even figure out what he is trying to say. Still, he can express his needs and wants clearly enough for us all to understand- much to my great relief!

On another thought, sonshine has always been a different child who never seem to fit into the average kid. Put him in a sea of children, you'll instantly see he's different. He's developments, personality, preferences are mostly at the extreme end of the spectrum. Let' see there's 1) his speech...

2) He skipped the terrible twos tantrums.

I always say he rarely throws a tantrum, quite unbelievable right? I must be either deaf, dead or just plain ignorant of his tantrums! Well, seriously, i have heard & seen tantrum behaviours and i don't recognise them in my son. Yes, he does cry when he is upset, but he doesn't go into a fit. He just cries- sometimes screeching cries. Anger is not in his dictionary. I would like to take ALL the credit but no, it is just in his personality- maybe he has gotten it from his 'everything's cool man' papa.

3) He skipped the pointing and naming object stage

Most toddlers would go through the stage of pointing to things and naming them. Sonshine didn't go through that. He could point, he could name objects but would never do it voluntarily. For instance, if we walk past a cat. Most kids would point to the cat and say 'CAT!'. My son walks past it without even glancing at it and appears oblivious to it. But if i ask him 'where's the cat?' he would then point. Or if i point and ask him 'what's that?', he can say 'cat' unenthusiastically & annoyed like 'duh, don't you know that's a cat mummy?'.

3) slow to socialise

Correct me if i am wrong, but most kids are sociable creatures unless they are shy. They would respond when approach by adults and especially other kids. But my son tends to ignore them all, maybe even tries to walk away and avoid them like they are some roach! Though i have seen him happily playing with some of my friends' kids. He's rather selective in whom he wants to warm up to.

4) Others

Food wise- he doesn't enjoy French fries. He doesn't take ice-cream. Once my friend offered him one and was shocked that he refused because, which kid doesn't like ice cream & fries?

Drawing, coloring- most kids love to pick up a pen and just doodle, scribble, get fascinated by how a mere pen can create so many lines, circles and shapes. But mine, just refused to hold a pen, not intrigued by it. MUCH MUCH to my dismay- because i LOVE doodling- it's my thing!


(post note)


5) Kiddy rides


Most kids enjoy kiddy rides, mine doesn't. He likes to sit on them but would immediately scramble down when we attempt to insert the coins to start the ride. He'd rather sit on the rides stationery- duh.


6) Cartoons & TV


Sonshine isn't a television kid. Yes, there are some shows he would watch but selective. He does not like Mickey Mouse nor any Disney shows. When it comes to the television, he has limited attention span- not that i am complaining.


7) Movies


We have yet to successfully bring him for a movie. He doesn't enjoy any shows and as i said, has very short patience for it. Moreover, he dislike that the cinemas are dark and loud- totally freaks him out.


8) Concerts, shows


During the holidays, the malls would be filled with roadshows of various cartoon characters. Most kids would beg their parents to bring them to watch and be more than content to sit in the front row. Mine would just beg me to bring him far away!


9) Homebody


He prefers to stay home and play he's toys or just pretend play. Sometimes he would tell us he doesn't want to go out and we have to coax him to step out of the house. When we are out, he would sometimes ask to go home. :I Of course, there are places where he would happily trot to.


I have just made him sound like there's something wrong with him huh? At one point, i truly believed he has some form of development problems, actually occasionally i still do wonder. I've consulted doctors and all told me the same- it's his personality, it's in his character. My pediatrician even commanded me to 'LEAVE HIM ALONE!'. Ok, alright, YES MADAM! Also, he's been responding to us with two way conversations, looks us in the eye, well aware of his environment, gets tickled by a joke, behaves just like another kid in general etc etc. I guess he is ok.

So if you see us on the street- that is if you recognise us- ha ha ha, don't expect my sonshine to go 'I had carrot and chicken' or 'i just came back from school' when you ask him what he ate for lunch or where he's been. He'll probably reply with a sheepish grin and that's it. Ah, well, while i've been nagging him to be polite and respond...i have also resigned to the fact that that's my boy and at the same time hoping he'll warm up and be responsive soon!