Lush Grass and Orioles in Flight—Hello, April!

Lush Grass and Orioles in Flight—Hello, April!

I always seem to notice, almost by accident, how quietly time slips away. Without photos and videos, it has already become hard to clearly recall those earliest moments of Yuanyuan’s life. And in the blink of an eye, it is once again the season of lush grass and orioles in flight. Yuanyuan, too, has turned into a little boy who rides his scooter and runs like the wind. So often, I suddenly forget how old he really is and think of him as a much bigger child.

But at other times—and more often than not—his innocence and natural sweetness still keep adding warmth to our daily life. For example, he still cannot quite make the “V” sign smoothly with his fingers, and needs to use his other hand to help position them. So every time I see him earnestly trying his best to strike a pose for a photo, I cannot help but laugh. And every time he takes a bath, he is still just as reluctant as ever to come out.

There are already hints of some precious qualities in Yuanyuan, qualities that deserve to be carefully nurtured. The first is that he keeps his word. It is hard to imagine a child so young being able to promise to play games for only five minutes and then, once the alarm goes off, let go on his own. That makes it possible for us to cautiously try educational activities involving electronic devices. But at the same time, it also means we must lead by example and preserve the mutual trust in his heart.

Another trait is kindness. This is something visible in most young children, and Yuanyuan is no exception. When he hears that Mommy is not feeling well, he will主动 offer to massage her back. When we visit Grandpa in the hospital, he busies himself nonstop, handing over water and tissues. After Daddy hurt his hand, Yuanyuan blew on it, just like in Qiaohu, hoping to make the pain go away. I hope this innocence and kindness will always stay with him.

In terms of thinking and understanding, Yuanyuan also seems especially remarkable—though this is only based on intuition and observation, since we do not really have enough points of comparison. If language can reveal the process of thought, then his progress in thinking has become something that surprises us every day. For us, the greatest pressure is figuring out how to provide him with enough of the right kind of education, so that his gifts will not go to waste.

Yuanyuan rarely eats ice cream. One day, Daddy bought one and let him take a lick. He immediately said, “Daddy, I already tried it. It’s not hot anymore, so you can eat it now.” Once, when he accidentally hurt Mommy, he quickly said, “Sorry, Mommy, I thought you were Grandma.” (Grandma on both sides is always the one doing the hardest work and, somehow, getting hurt the most.)

Yuanyuan has also shown some astonishing abilities in movement and musical sensitivity. Physically, he is especially agile, but because he is still so young, we have not dared to start any formal training. Musically, he can hum his own tunes and make up lyrics from everyday speech. We took him to a trial Yamaha music class, and he responded quite well, so we have been thinking about whether to give him some training in that area too.

As for language learning, Yuanyuan has gradually started recognizing simple Chinese characters such as “人” (person), “火” (fire), “大” (big), “小” (small), and “山” (mountain). In English, he is still mainly learning individual words. But what has impressed us is his ability to learn on his own by following pronunciation books. When we asked him how to say “boat” and “train” in English, he answered correctly and said he had learned them from his English book. A child’s ability to learn spontaneously should never be underestimated, and it is our responsibility to create the conditions for that learning.

As for his interests, Yuanyuan’s greatest love has recently shifted from big sharks to Tyrannosaurus rex. He does not sing “Baby Shark” very much anymore. We bought him a simple toy T. rex that can move, and he was absolutely thrilled. Of course, there are still areas where he needs guidance: Yuanyuan still sometimes hits people, and occasionally spits. These are things that need correction and patient teaching. But I believe that now that he already has a fair degree of understanding, these problems can be gradually corrected.

This April, with grass growing, orioles flying, and all things flourishing, is full of hope.