It's been a while since I've written anything for this blog.
So, I'm going to skip ahead and yet backtrack to a few days ago when I was watching a kid.
I've spent many days with him and his siblings, watching them play and argue, complete their homework, go to the dentist. In that time there is always something that catches me off guard.
Usually something spoken or done that you can't explain in full. Well, I'm going to try to capture this moment, even though it's difficult.
I call the youngest a monster, even though they all are. He is just such a joy to be around, although hyper-active most of the time and full of energy. Some days his spirit is what I need. I was watching him one day after school and I was reading a comment on FaceBook. It was in Italian, and I was reading out loud. We had been talking about languages for a few minutes, so it seemed appropriate. He asked me which language it was, thinking it was Spanish as he had guessed a few times before I answered. I told him it was Italian. He then looked at me with a completely serious look in his eye and said, "Wait, I thought Italians spoke English."
His parents and siblings and I shared a laugh at this after they got home and he was sleeping. In hindsight it makes me wonder what out there some kids aren't able to learn.. What languages people take for granted. The fact that language is taken for granted by most people, hardly anybody thinks about it today.
What if all we had left was body language and gestures? Would we communicate the same? I think the abundance of words has helped us grow into a beautiful being. Although sometimes misused, it has helped grow towards each other. I think I'd be too lazy to signal everything I wanted to say through hand gestures and body language.
