Mother knows best

Sometimes it's hard for me to believe Nathan has only been talking about 2 years now. He was a late talker. He said his "first words" pretty much on schedule, you know, the usual "mama, dada, doggie" kind of stuff. But he didn't really start talking-talking until he was about 2 1/2. It worried me, a lot!!! He seemed like a bright child, and had easily reached all the other milestones according to schedule. But the kid would just not talk! I discussed it with his doctor, and had even began to start the process for getting him tested for Autism. He had some other issues as well that made me think this, but in my heart, I just knew he wasn't. I remember staying after playgroup one day and asked the leader about it and as we were discussing it, I just cried! She sent me home with paper-work to fill out so we could schedule a consultation with some specialists. But by the time I could get the stuff filled out and back to playgroup two weeks later, something amazing started happening. Nathan started talking! Not whole sentences or anything, not like most other kids his age were talking, but he was talking, and it was wonderful.

People always told me during that time to just enjoy the quiet while it lasted. Soon enough I'd be praying for him to be quiet for one minute. How true that is! But whenever he's chattering on and on I just remember that time in our lives, and how frightening it was to think that my child might not ever talk much. I'm not saying that his speech is perfect now, he mispronounces words, but most people do understand him. He may have to have speech therapy in school someday, but at this point, I doubt it. He's more than caught up in my opinion. He has an absolutely amazing vocabulary. I can think of several words and phrases he's used in the past week alone that seem like words the average four year old wouldn't say. In fact, I think as far as speaking goes, he uses proper English better than even I do!

I guess my point of all this is to encourage those who think their child might not be developing properly. I mean, you never know, something could be wrong, but faith in God will get you through no matter the situation. Oh, and also we need to relax some, and not compare our children to others. They all advance at different rates, and comparing them can drive you absolutely crazy! So just believe. Believe in your child and believe that you know what's right for your child. In the end, mothers do know best!