spoken word
October 5, 2013 § 4 Comments
In the tidy space of one day, both children inspired pleasure and amusement with off-the-cuff commentary that left me temporarily speechless.
With an utterance unladylike but honest, my daughter interrupted our bedtime story to acknowledge the villain with an uncluttered, under-the-breath exclamation of character assessment. Her sweet voice projected a more worldly declaration of devious bastard. Smitten with her choice of devious, I was slow to process the noun in her fragmented statement. Accurate and indulgent, appropriate in application and inappropriate for her age, I set aside the book we shared to applaud and inform both word choices; context and comprehension suspended just long enough for me to revel in her language.
Still distracted by my daughter’s unexpected exclamation, I soon found myself pausing over my son’s passionate declaration that school is a husk of broken promises and lies in response to a routine, How was your day? Promised the company of scientists speaking at his school, he piled misfortune on top of misplaced promises to hold adults to empty assurances. I empathized with his disappointment and acknowledged the imperfection of good intentions, while savoring the elegance of his frustration.
Each utterance as sweet as their infant mastery of naming; echos of discovery and exploration in language that carves out space and colors their experiences with self.
scribblechic 
Your son’s line was quite poetic. And your daughter-her honest assessment would have left me momentarily speechless too, no doubt with a smile threatening to break out.
It is worth noting that when my son caught me furiously scribbling his sentiments, he attributed the turn of phrase to another source; uncertain of his originality, but confident in his application. I admired his honest humility as much as the elegant expression.
As for my daughter, I was hard pressed to form words around my smile.
Their love for language and the skill with which they use it are signs that point directly back at you.
In all the ways we identify pieces of ourselves in our children, this use of language is one that fills me with joy. The innocence and naturalness of their expression makes the gift so much sweeter. At some point they might choose not to hone their ability, but I hope they will always find a thread of connectivity between us among words.