Yesterday we had a play date with Raphaela's friend Mika, and her mother, with whom I shared the pregnancy experience. In Mika's house they straddle between Russian and Hebrew, and in our house we float between English (mostly) and Hebrew, with a little Spanish and Yiddish added to the mix.
Mika's Mommy and Raphaela's Mommy sat and talked, more like commisserated; she may be married and I may be single, but we both feel at the end of our ropes from being the almost exclusive care taker of our beautiful girls, born one week apart. What a relief to know that I am not the only parent who feels this way, that I have friends who understand me, and that we can support each other.
After about a half hour of play, Raphaela came over to Mika's mother and said something in what I thought was her very serious and well-developed mystery language. Mika's mother answered her in Russian, and then had a long conversation with my daughter in a language that I did not realize she knew. Apparently, Raphaela soaked up Russian vocabulary from Mika in the short time since we had arrived at their house.
I am amazed at the learning capacity of the human brain, and especially that of a child. It appears my daughter also has a flair for languages, a trait she inherited from me. Perhaps some day she will be a spy, like my great-grandfather, who had a photographic memory, and was fluent in eight languages. Or a diplomat, that would be OK as well, though I failed miserably when I worked at the United Nations.
Tonight, when I rested with Raphaela before she fell asleep, I watched her expertly change the diaper on her doll, and then give him a Chiropractic adjustment. She has leapt in her development since her surgery, and my sense of wonderment continues to grow.
1 comment:
I love the chiropractic adjustment. And I am so envious of our children's bi-lingual gift.
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