I recently read Anna Quindlen’s Nanaville. I could have written it. Replace her son with my daughter and give Arthur the name Leo, and we are the same! Her grandson Arthur is learning Mandarin and English while Leo is learning Spanish (from his babysitter) and English. Quindlen’s book has inspired me to capture “Small Moments” about my grandchildren.
Leo calls milk “che-che” which is Leo for Spanish leche. He calls water for drinking agua while wawer means bath or swimming pool. Sometimes we assume a word is one he learned in Spanish because we don’t know what he is saying.
Leo is becoming himself and asserting his own language. He has decided to call me “Gon.” This, I guess comes from “grandma”, but it’s not very cute. He says it as a command like “no” or “mine.” We have been trying to get him to call me Ma mère because his grandfather wants to be Grandpère. Grandpère has become the sweetest soft sound of “Pee-père.” Leo has made the connection now, so following his command “Gon!” comes sweet eyes and “Ma mère.”
In addition to language, I am fascinated by how Leo plays. On Saturday a friend stopped by and brought me two quilts she had made for the boys. Leo chose the one with fish and gators on it. We laid it out on the kitchen floor, and I opened a drawer full of paper products: plates, napkins, and cupcake holders. He went back and forth from the quilt to the drawer to create a picnic. Here is a picture of him with a paper plate of goldfish, a favorite snack. “Shish.”
The thing about language is that it it the ultimate transactional process. If you watch children acquire language, you can see them not only speaking but arranging the known world. We ask them questions we know they know the answers to–What color is the ball? Where do frogs live?–so that they can practice the arrangement. It’s also pretty thrilling to be part of the process, and for a grandparent it’s tantamount to learning a new dialect.
Anna Quindlen, Nanaville
We ask Leo questions all day long. And he labels things. He also makes connections. He will point to the bayou and say “wawer” and follow it with “boat!” Then he waves because that is what we do. Watch for boats and wave to them. He sees a man wearing khaki pants and a hat cutting the grass and says “Pee-père.”
One of my favorite connections he’s made is the portal we use to call my parents. He says, “Pop!” He’s getting to know my parents in a different way using technology, but they are a part of his life and his vocabulary.
At 11 months, Thomas, Leo’s cousin (my second daughter’s son) is experimenting with his body, crawling at lightning speed and climbing stairs equally as fast. I could have sworn last week when I kept Thomas overnight, he echoed, “Night night.” I recall that his mother spoke early.
As a grandmother, I have the luxury of time with and time without my grandsons. I can pay attention to these milestones. Make note of them. Marvel at them. I am an observer. On the sidelines to the great miracle that is language and love.
Reflections on the Teche 
YES, The pleasure of a grandmother as a loving eye and ear that observes is absolutely priceless. Thanks for offering this glimpse into your life. 🙂
I can so relate to this, Margaret! I have a 2 1/2 year old grandson and an 11 month granddaughter. They live out of state, but close enough for me to see them fairly regularly and on video at least weekly. Watching them develop has been such a joy! You can almost see the wheels turning in Alex’s head as he processes the wonders of his world. I will have to check out Anna Quindlen’s book.Thanks!
I feel like I am being so much more aware of the development now than when I was the mother. You will enjoy the book.
I could relate to these words: “As a grandmother, I have the luxury of time with and time without my grandsons. I can pay attention to these milestones. Make note of them. Marvel at them. I am an observer. On the sidelines to the great miracle that is language and love.”
As a grandmother to 2 four year olds, and 2 two year olds, I am learning so much about language and love! It is so much fun stepping back and watching them develop.
And I too must check out Anna Q’s book.
My grandchildren speak our language, Kannada at home. They live in Germany so speak German at school and somehow they are picking up English too. It is absolutely wonderful to listen to them. We speak to them almost everyday by WhatsApp video call. Thank you for sharing and your grandson is very sweet 🙂
What a beautiful tribute to your grandsons and language! It’s great that Leo is learning two languages at once! He is adorable! I agree about small moments being key. Your love shines through in this writing, which makes it so meaningful. You brought back memories with my girls and makes me look forward to my own grandchildren in the future. Beautiful quilt. Thank you for sharing your joy.
Margaret, Leo is adorable. It is so wonderful that you are able to see him all the time and be able to watch the development of his language and the growth of love. I can’t wait until I move closer to my little girls. Sierra (now 3) told me in a phone call that she is going on vacation – she wanted to correct me when I said that I heard she was going on a trip. My daughter said that Sierra has moved to more complex thoughts when talking to others. What a gift to watch young life grow. Enjoy the boys and best of luck with school this year.
I am so fascinated by language acquisition and development in children, and BOY oh BOY is that Leo cute!! How fun that we wrote along similar grandmother/language themes.
I’m just getting around to reading slices from Tuesday. What fun to read about your grandmother adventures. I wrote a slice of books and grand boys, two of my favorite addictions. Love this pic of Leo and his fish picnic with Bear by his side. There’s nothing quite like being a Grandma! Thanks for sharing your stories.
What a lovely post! I just said to Kurt tonight, “I’m starting to get a hankering to have some grandkids!” In fact, I think I said that after seeing your adorable video of Leo on Facebook. All in due time I guess. In the meantime I’ll enjoy reading your slices. Thanks for sharing!