The trouble with hearing toddlers

Tempting as it is to spend today's blog talking about the weather, for the sake of Miss K's sanity I'm not going to.

But it is September. Time is flying faster than ever. Friend Who Knows Big Words has now been away for almost a month. Hopefully time will fly so fast that she'll soon be back in the UK staying with me and quaffing champagne. But in the mean time I must be content knowing she's having a fabulous time sunbathing on hot beaches. Or getting drenched by monsoon rains.

*sniff

So anyway, my weekend… well, it was utterly impromptu, but utterly fantastic and involved a visit to Nelly Mac in the Wild West um... Country. She's the mother of my Goddaughter don't you know! A brave woman to give me that job if you ask me!

My Goddaughter is at that fabulous age where she wants to look like a princess every day. She's 3! If a dress doesn't puff out when she spins, she's not interested, if her hair isn't done to perfection, she's not happy, and if she forgets to accessorize before leaving the house... disaster!

Yesterday we went shopping and she was the best dressed kid in town! Wooden flowery beads - check! Princess dress - check! Flowery tights - check! Sparkly hair clips - check! I felt most underdressed.

Anyway, she's a little bit too young to understand that her godmother is deafer than a door post, so I spend most of my time giving her vague answers, which for a toddler, who wants all the answers, can be quite frustrating.

I felt bad. So I had a think on the car journey in to town. And then I came up with an idea.

Talking gibberish!

And do you know what? It worked!

I babbled at her, my tone varying to sound happy, sad, inquisitive and angry and she then babbled back. Even her little brother joined in, and soon the only person in the car making any sense was Nelly Mac!

But everyone was happy. And it was nice to solve the problem of how to hear a toddler. Of course it doesn't always work and that's why it's great Nelly Mac can hear her. Otherwise her requests for 'a balloon, Mummy' would have been met by repeated trips to the toilet... 'balloon, Mummy!'

'loo, Mummy.'

*blush

I'll stick to the gibberish I think!