Family Times
December 2006
Baby Sign Language, now found on the cover of Life and various
parenting magazines, has actually been around for quite some time. I
started signing with my first child nearly six years ago when she was a
just a preverbal squishy lazing in a bouncy chair. It was an admirable
enough experiment. But for her, words overcame sign and soon she was
off like a verbal rocket–and hasn’t slowed down since.
When our son was born, it again seemed like a worthwhile pastime. It
helped fill that period with young babies where there isn’t all that much
interaction other than nurse, diaper, bathe, repeat and one clamors to do
something, anything that won’t be completely undone in the next 45
minutes. And it was a fun compliment to our usual bag of tricks, an
activity that my preschool daughter could join in on and I was actually
learning something, too. This came at a time when I desperately needed
reminding of my intellectual capabilities.
March 2006
--reprint rights available
excerpt
When I was a very new parent, I had no idea how important my
relationship with the pediatrician was to become. Honestly with the
newborn checks, shots and parental concerns, I was stepping into that
office with the regularity of Norm heading to Cheers...
