He Understands More Than You Think
Then why does he pretend he doesn’t understand things that he should?
I’ve learned in my 50-plus years of being a parent and a grandparent, there are limits to what passes for communication between adult and child.
Depending on the age of the child (and sometimes the grandparent for different reasons) the generations usually connect by linguistic compromise. Each using a certain pidgin language known only to the conversationalists.
One principle I’ve always held dear: no matter what age, no baby-talk past infancy. At 12 months it’s normal conversation, at least on my part.
To be candid, don’t let the kids know, here’s a small slice of one’s lifetime where that practice is mutually beneficial. When you’re very young and when you’re very old.
Please, let me explain:
Take my grandson Nick for instance. He can go out and run all over the place and pretend he doesn’t understand what old Gramps is saying and — basically, do what he wants.
I understand this and try to fashion my grandparenting appeals like Time magazine. A journalist I know once mentioned Time magazine is written on a 7th-grade level.
