Um, What?

Every week I look forward to catching up with Sandra, Reese, Kim, Kourtney, and Jen, while seeing who wore it best, who broke up with who, and the latest rehab news...yep, you guessed it, I am obsessed with my Trashy Mags. However, once a month (or somewhere around there) I get another magazine in the mail that I can hardly wait to tear through...Parents Magazine.

I was never very good at keeping up with What to Expect, either while I was prego or during the first year. I mean who has time to actually read a book while watching a toddler, folding laundry, making meals, and trying to remember to keep the magic alive with that other adult who lives in the house with you? Sometimes prioritizing means giving up things, and in my case pleasure books were one of the first to go. However, I find I can read the shorter articles of Parents during the day when A is happily playing by herself, and at night I can dive into the longer articles.

Anyway...when my hubby brought up my new Parents Magazine this weekend I couldn't wait to learn some new tricks, since life with a toddler is all about bribing diverting their attention (something I also picked up in Parents). So I thought I would share my favorite little blurb with you, to make you feel a little better about those Mommy Brain moments, where you just can't think of the right word. 

In case you have the September issue, the blurb is on page 36 (at the bottom). I am typing just what they have in the magazine, because if the paid journalist can sum up this concept in under 50 words, why should I bother to paraphrase! Enjoy, and hope you feel a little better about yourself today!

Um, What?

The stumbles and fumbles you make in your own speech may actually help increase your toddler's vocabulary, according to a recent study in Developmental Science. Researchers found that when you pause before or trip over a word that you use infrequently ("can you hear the , uh, xylophone?") your child will anticipate that she's about to learn something new and pay closer attention to the word you say after you stammer.

Parents Magazine

September, 2011 Issue

So of course I tried this out today.

Me: "Hey, A, would you like to see the, um, triangle?"

Me: "A, what do we call this animal? The, um, rhinoceros."

Me: "Sweetheart, if you throw your fork across the table again you will get a, um, timeout."

Okay, so it is still a work in progress, but I kid you not, when I was doing those with the "um" in there she did actually turn her head to look at me speaking. So, um, try it with your kids!

xoxo

Daily Mom