Creating Narrative

On Friday, when Husbandguy and I picked Lulu up from school, she told us a story. As HG* was buckling her into her seat she said, "Hector flrow up." I wasn't listening and HG didn't really hear her so we asked her to repeat herself and she said again, "Hector flrow up." HG and I said, "Oh, poor Hector!" and "Is he okay?" and all the other concerned things you say when you hear that someone you don't really know has been sick, and we thought that was the whole story, but we were wrong. Next Lulu said (totally unprompted), "Hector have milk," like that was the reason he threw up. HG and I said, "Oh," and "Um-hum," and stuff and thought that was the end, but it wasn't. Then she said, "Tonya pat her" (give her a break on the pronoun - she's just barely 21 months old). That was the story: Hector threw up, he had milk, and Tonya patted him. She told us this all on her own, which totally impressed me. She recalled events and shared them with us, thinking we'd be interested.

I told her grandpa about it and he was impressed too. He said she was initiating and maintaining conversation and "creating narrative" and agreed that the story and her telling it were surprisingly advanced skills for my toddler.

When I dropped her off on Monday, I asked her teacher about it, and guess what! Lulu made it up!! Hector didn't throw up; he usually drinks juice with his lunch; but, she said, if he had, it would have been reasonable for Tonya to pat him.

She was literally creating narrative.


*I like the label "HG" better than "DH" so after this that's what he'll be.