Are we there yet? Are we there yet?
Does anyone know why kids can’t just ask this once, but have to ask a million times…?!
It's a cliché, but it’s true – kids just love to ask this question, and it has many, many variations!
The first time I ever took Gor Gor and Sai Lo abroad was to Japan. They were thrilled to fly in a plane for the first time. The trip was a huge adventure, a series of firsts, a chance to make lifelong memories as a family. However, my overwhelming memory of the trip isn’t about the amazing sights or the incredible food….it’s about a coconut guitar. Yes, you heard me right. A coconut guitar. As in, a homemade guitar, made out of coconuts. Let me explain…
On our way to the aquarium one day, we stopped by a souvenir shop in Okinawa. It was here that Sai-Lo fell in love.
“Mom, look!” he cried out, in pure joy. I turned to see him holding a miniature guitar made of hand-painted shiny coconut shells. With delicate embellishments and musical capabilities, it had caught his eye and captured his heart. Not wishing for him to walk around all day holding a toy, I made him a promise.
“I promise I’ll buy it for you on our way back from the aquarium.”
Satisfied with this, Sai-Lo was led out of the shop, and we continued to the aquarium.
But it was as though the magnificent sea lions, the dolphins, and the whale sharks were invisible to him. All Sai-Lo could think about and talk about was the coconut guitar.
“When can we buy the guitar?”
“When can we buy the guitar?”
“When can we buy the guitar?”
This went on for hours. And I mean: hours. It was like he was a record, stuck in a groove. Like he truly could not say anything else. Rapidly, it started to drive me mad. The adult brain becomes quickly frustrated with repetition. A dripping tap irritates us. A car alarm, a fire alarm, a car honking its horn: all these noises send us round the bend. Now, make that one of your kids repeating themselves – and your kids are hardwired into your very soul, their cries are designed to send your entire nervous system into high alert – now that is a different ball game. There is no escaping that kind of incessant demand. It burrows into you, and it stays!
Kids repeat themselves for fascinating reasons. When I stepped back from his constant questioning, I felt impressed with Sai-Lo and the way his brain was working. Repetition is actually how a child’s brain grows smarter. It’s a clever evolutionary tactic to ensure that Mom and Dad are actually listening. (Imagine in prehistoric times, Cave Mom being alerted to her Cave Baby – don’t forget me amongst all these predators! Hey, I’m still here, back in the cave, saying the same thing over and over to get your attention to keep me alive!) Repetition stimulates kids’ memories. It’s sensory perception: it helps a child understand the world around them. It creates an understanding of language. It’s all of these things and more.
So guess what? We hurried back from the aquarium, back to Okinawa, back to the souvenir store. Sai-Lo and Gor-Gor got one coconut guitar each! What did I get? Some peace and quiet? No way. I was treated to a coconut guitar concert!
What are some memorable things your kids have asked you, over and over?
