Thursday, September 25, 2008

Opposite Day

When you were a kid did you and your siblings play "opposite day"? Oh man, we LOVED opposite days. The first problem, however, came in determining whether or not it was opposite day. Either way, it was "not" opposite day. Tricky!!

We were so very clever, and confusing, and charming and endearing all at once. Sometimes we giggled, but I think mostly we were very good at keeping a straight face while we said things like, "I hate brownies!", " Sure, I'd love to help you with your chores!!" or "You look really good today!" Good times.

Another game we loved was the always-answer-a-different-question-than-the-one-that-is-asked day. Those were the days our true wit shone through. "What time is it?" an unsuspecting person may ask. "Oh, not really." we'd say, with a contemplative sigh. "Are you going to the dance?" "Um, I think strawberry. Yes, definitely strawberry." "Did you finish your homework?" "Fine, how are YOU?"

Well, Aaron isn't super verbal in his communications. He does loads of talking, but uses precious few words. Still, he seems to understand the concept of opposite day extremely well. He's been having them a string of them for almost a month now. When we ask him if he wants something, like a cookie or juice, he will shake his head at medium to rapid speed and say, "Nah!" or "Nah-nah." and then anxiously grabs the offered item. Another opposite type reaction is when he refuses most dinner foods so I have to kind of force a tiny bit on his lips, first getting it past his flailing arms (quite a trick, as many of you probably know). The very second his tongue touches the food the arms go down, the protesting whine stops and he says, "Mmmmmm!" with all sorts of enthusiasm, as if it's soooo delicious, just like he knew it would be. This happens so abruptly that I laugh out loud every single time.

I think most toddlers say things like "Mama," "juice," or "ball" early on. Not Aaron. He still doesn't say Mama, or anything resembling it, to indicate that he wants me. Maybe this is because I'm always nearby, so there's no need. He does say Da-da for daddy and day-duh for David. He also sings "eeeeh-nuh, eeeeh-nuh" to the "Clean Up" song tune whenever he's putting anything into some type of container. And every time he burps he covers his mouth with his hand and says, "Bfff, Bfff" (excuse me) in a high pitched tone. That's really pretty much all he actually says with words. Good thing he's great at non-verbal communication. I mean, why does he need to say either Mama or juice if he's thirsty and I'm in the library, when he can climb the stairs with his sippy cup and hand it to me. Uh, he wanted me, and he wants me to refill his cup. Easy!! Right on, Aaron!

15 comments:

Kazzy said...

My kids were all so different on the verbal aptitude scale. But the way food seems to solve all problems is such a blessing. When they can't yet tell you what's wrong you know you can at least stick some bananas or applesauce in their mouths and all is right with the world!

Jillybean said...

Strangely enough, my son Aaron was the same way. 18 months old and only a few words (Mom, Dad, milk, NO) He preferred the "grunt and point" method.
Until one day I was eating ice cream and he wanted some. I told him he needed to say "ice cream" and then I would give him some.
He climbed on my lap, put his nose right up to mine and said..... "ice. Ice. ICE!"
I gave him his own bowl of ice cream, and after that he started saying about 8 new words a day.
Now we can't get him to be quiet.

You should videotape the dinnertime thing, it sounds hilarious!

Heather of the EO said...

Oh opposite day and non-sensical day. Love it.
Just for today I'm going to answer the phone, "COME IN!!!" and answer the door by just yelling hello through it, waiting my turn and then, "how you ya? What are you doing?" with the door closed the whole time. I'm going to call it switch up day. If a child asks me for juice, I'll go make lunch. Stuff like that.
Now that would confuse your smart little Aaron!

charrette said...

Our kids LOVE opposite day. It gets a bit confusing with teenagers, though, since the catch word that now means awesome is "Sick!" (Sounds like opposite day all the time!)

I LOVE that answer-a-different-question game. Pure hilarity! We used to call it Psychiatrist, and I STILL remember some of the questions -and their nonsense answers- from when we were kids. Good times!

Heather's idea? is excellent. She cracks me up.

Erin said...

That is so funny that Aaron makes a big fuss about eating something and then likes it. I loved your description--I could just picture him. So cute.

Anne said...

I sure wish I could give that little cuie a squeeze and kiss on the cheek! Post some video of that boy!

Little GrumpyAngel said...

Darn, I had a boring childhood. Never played opposites day so I didn't do that with my kids either. My daughter was an early talker, and she just never stopped since she started. We sometimes tease her and call her motor-mouth :-)My son is more like your Aaron, better at non-verbal communication which is a nice balance. He was identified as gifted by the school district whatever that means, so maybe really intelligent kids are not as verbal, maybe?

By the way, thank you so much for your comment about my kids on my post. You are so sweet!

Pancake said...

My boys were the same, the younger they are (like the 3 as opposed to the 1st child) the less they talked. If I didnt understand a brother told me what he needed...

LOVED opposite day!!!

Kimberly Vanderhorst said...

I know a kid who didn't progress from Uh-uh! till he was three and a half.

Lesley said...

Sounds like almost every day is opposite day for Aaron. He's got to keep you on your toes! I did baby sign language with my girls and it worked great. It's supposed to increase their vocabulary and help them start to learn to talk more (it certainly worked that way for mine!), plus it's just a really fun way to communicate with them.

Andi Kate, Children's Author said...

Have you ever read the book "Go To Bed!" by Virginia Miller? Brody is currently obsessed, so we read it several times a day and it reminds me of Aaron. You should get it. It would probably crack Aaron up the way it does Brody (though, as an adult, I am baffled as to where the humor is.)
http://www.amazon.com/Go-Bed-Virginia-Miller/dp/0763612677

Barbaloot said...

Hmm---I like the mixed up question game. I may have to try that? I mean-it's still cool once you're 24, right? Cuz it should be.

Alison Wonderland said...

Your Aaron sounds a lot like my Irish1. He's not really all that interested in words. he makes himself understood quite well without them. I worried about it for a while But then I got over it.

Natalie said...

Oh my gosh! We have opposite day at our house every Friday! Fun to hear other people have enjoyed this tricky game.

Troop 152 said...

Completely unrelated to your post: If you're in Poland, go west to Saxony, Germany and visit Dresden (Beautiful city), Meissen (Karl Maeser birthplace), Freiberg (Temple), Annaberg-Buchholz (heart of the Erzgebirge, home of the original Christmas nutcrackers, pyramids, and other great wooden toys) and finally Leipzig, which is just a way cool city. But I'm not biased or anything.