Cutie

Our two-and-a-half year old granddaughter is about as into understanding relationships as I've ever seen a child of her age be. Having figured out that most people go by more than one title, she seems to be continually unraveling how they all fit together. When I walk in the front door at the end of the work day before she has gone home, I'm greeted with a excited gasp and an enthusiastic "PĂPAW!" This of course makes my day, along her little brother not being far behind with a great big grin and his arms up for a hug.

But it's what our granddaughter says next that is new to me. She points to her grandma and asks, "You call her . . . ?" filling in her name. Then she looks at grandma, "You call him . . . ?" Sometimes she'll then carry on with "Daddy calls mommy . . . " and "Mommy calls daddy . . . ," filling in each of our names. Then this morning, when grandma went to get her, she said, "Mommy calls you 'Mom'?"

I doubt the written words convey how cute she is with this. And I don't necessarily think she's a little genius because of it, though we've always thought that she's really bright, and that mommy & daddy are going to have their hands full! But I'm just fascinated by how each child's development is different, and how each is a uniquely precious gift.