Peer Pressure

One thing I'm finding harder and harder is to not compare Simon to other kids his own age. It seems like little punks two months younger than he is are reciting ballads and dancing on Broadway while my kid is still stuffing things up his nose and sitting in his own feces. I have to remind myself that these kinds of deadlines are completely arbitrary, and learning something early in life doesn't necessarily mean you're better at it.

The biggest concern for me right now is language development. Most kids Simon's age have a few words down but Simon shows no interest. He can say "mama" and "dada" but I think it's mostly at random. What kills me, though, is that he obviously is really good at understanding what you're saying. You can say "laundry" and he'll run over to the laundry room, or "upstairs" and he'll go to the stairs, or "punching bag" and he'll go over to the cat, but he shows no interest in trying to vocalize those sounds himself.

I've noticed in him an indifference in mimicking other people, which is unusual for a baby. He rarely makes noises when I do, and the only hand sign I've been able to teach him effectively is the one for a snack called Veggie Booty. (It shows a pirate on the bag, so I taught him to cover one eye with his hand like an eye patch.)

Anyway, I know I shouldn't be concerned. He's developing fine, and any skill that he was a bit behind in he mastered in record time when he finally figured it out. Plus there are plenty of kids I've seen who aren't as advanced as him, so at least he can feel superior to those losers.