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Do babies develop accents even before they can speak conventionally? The short answer is yes… and these linguistic markers begin even sooner than you might think. So many of you tagged me in this video yesterday featuring an infant that babbles with the same Scouse accent as his mother....

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Dan Wuori

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2,986,097 views • 2 years ago •via X (Twitter)

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Mme Lockhart's profile picture
Mme Lockhart2 years ago

This is incredible to watch! The baby has mastered the art of turn taking! I know adults who have not yet mastered the art of waiting their turn to speak!!!!😂

Mnelisi kaMphokwe 🇿🇦's profile picture
Mnelisi kaMphokwe 🇿🇦2 years ago

When my son changes from his Zulu to English accent mid babbling, it’s the funniest thing ever.

Dan Wuori's profile picture
Dan Wuori2 years ago

I bet! Would love to see that!

Gillian Sapia RN's profile picture
Gillian Sapia RN2 years ago

I’m telling you straight from birth language is started. The ability to mimic sound is insane. 2 months old. We were apart of Babble Boot camp for rare disease Galactosemia. Speech disorders are 70% in this disease. We were in therapy with this program from months old to 3.

Gillian Radcliffe's profile picture
Gillian Radcliffe2 years ago

That's absolutely fascinating. Clearly babies develop an ear for the music of their native language. This one's a proper little chatterbox. Adorable. And this mum is fantastic, the way she engages him in the conversation. Love it!

James David Dickson's profile picture
James David Dickson2 years ago

I love babies You can already tell this one is confident

Mapondera Fungai A. 🇿🇼's profile picture
Mapondera Fungai A. 🇿🇼2 years ago

I never thought I could pay attention and understand a baby speaking until my son picked up two screws from my Pinarello Dogma’s bottom bracket while I was working on it. I tried to follow every lip twist while asking where he had put them. 😩

Dan Wuori's profile picture
Dan Wuori2 years ago

That’s a cool bike!

Her 🌱✨'s profile picture
Her 🌱✨2 years ago

I love him! He’s making a strong case for why it isn’t sleepy time yet!

Related Videos

It’s true: Infants not only babble with an accent, but even their cries reflect the unique musicality of their mothers’ native languages. Many of you tagged me this week on this video shared by p0lar_fawn (X), which depicts the babbling of a happy French baby. If you listen closely, you’ll notice that the phrasing, intonation and vowel sounds in the little one’s vocalizations - while not yet conventional - sound distinctly French. Speech therapists call this prosody and - believe it or not - it’s something infants begin picking up in utero, even before they enter the world. As the senses activate near the end of the third trimester, children are exposed not only to the tone of their own mothers’ voices but the prosody of their spoken language. After birth these patterns are evident in both the intonation of their cries and their earliest speech sounds. It’s all a part of language acquisition - and truly amazing to behold.
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It’s true: Infants not only babble with an accent, but even their cries reflect the unique musicality of their mothers’ native languages. Many of you tagged me this week on this video shared by p0lar_fawn (X), which depicts the babbling of a happy French baby. If you listen closely, you’ll notice that the phrasing, intonation and vowel sounds in the little one’s vocalizations - while not yet conventional - sound distinctly French. Speech therapists call this prosody and - believe it or not - it’s something infants begin picking up in utero, even before they enter the world. As the senses activate near the end of the third trimester, children are exposed not only to the tone of their own mothers’ voices but the prosody of their spoken language. After birth these patterns are evident in both the intonation of their cries and their earliest speech sounds. It’s all a part of language acquisition - and truly amazing to behold.

Dan Wuori

70,052 views • 7 months ago

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How does language begin? There’s a lot of important growth and development that occurs during the 45 month window from prenatal to age three. But among infancy’s greatest accomplishments is language acquisition. So over the coming week I’m going to dedicate this space to a series of posts on the sequential growth of language, which you may be surprised to learn begins even before birth. As your baby’s hearing activates between 18-20 weeks of gestation, they begin hearing their first sounds: Mom’s heartbeat, digestive rumblings, and voice. As you might imagine, sound isn’t crystal clear in the amniotic sac. (It’s not a perfect comparison, but consider how your own hearing changes under water in a swimming pool. You can still hear, but the sounds are muffled and significantly degraded.) For this and other reasons, your baby isn’t absorbing specific vocabulary at this point, but there’s little question that they are beginning to familiarize themselves with not only the tones/sound of their mother’s voice, but the distinct rhythms and patterns of her native language. We’re still only beginning to understand prenatal learning, but research demonstrates that in the minutes and hours immediately after birth, newborns already recognize their mother’s voice and can distinguish (and prefer) their own native language. That’s right: at birth babies’ brains have already begun organizing themselves around their mothers’ native languages. Pretty remarkable, no? It’s the first step in a miraculous process by which young children acquire complex linguistic ability over a period of just months. As for this precious little one, just minutes old, watch how he calms from a cry to an instant silence when exposed to the clear and familiar sound of his mother’s voice. Tomorrow we’ll look at the earliest forms of vocalization. This beautiful video was shared to YT by @lashaviouskirk9862.

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121,931 views • 1 year ago

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Dan Wuori

110,350 views • 2 years ago

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Dan Wuori

2,901,879 views • 1 year ago

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154,402 views • 1 year ago

Let’s give a cheer for this little guy who has reached an important milestone: the development of object permanence. Attributed to Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget, the object permanence is just what its name implies - an understanding that objects continue to exist even when out of sight. And while that may sound pretty obvious to us as adults, it’s actually a concept infants develop over time. Piaget theorized - and demonstrated through experimentation that - prior to its development (around 8 months of age) - infants behave as if objects removed from their sight simply cease to exist. As a reflection of their working memory, the bottom line for babies seems to be “out of sight, out of mind.” (In studies, younger babies do not search for a toy covered by a blanket, for example.) But you can tell that’s not the case for this little guy. Watch what happens when the plastic lid becomes inadvertently balanced on the top of his head. Our hero is clearly puzzled by its disappearance. He knows it still exists and begins searching the surrounding area to figure out where it might have gone. In the years since Piaget’s original research, newer studies have called aspects of his theory into question - suggesting infants may develop the concept earlier than originally theorized. But it’s still a treat to watch as babies make these discoveries. This sweet little guy was shared to IG by baby.afection.
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Let’s give a cheer for this little guy who has reached an important milestone: the development of object permanence. Attributed to Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget, the object permanence is just what its name implies - an understanding that objects continue to exist even when out of sight. And while that may sound pretty obvious to us as adults, it’s actually a concept infants develop over time. Piaget theorized - and demonstrated through experimentation that - prior to its development (around 8 months of age) - infants behave as if objects removed from their sight simply cease to exist. As a reflection of their working memory, the bottom line for babies seems to be “out of sight, out of mind.” (In studies, younger babies do not search for a toy covered by a blanket, for example.) But you can tell that’s not the case for this little guy. Watch what happens when the plastic lid becomes inadvertently balanced on the top of his head. Our hero is clearly puzzled by its disappearance. He knows it still exists and begins searching the surrounding area to figure out where it might have gone. In the years since Piaget’s original research, newer studies have called aspects of his theory into question - suggesting infants may develop the concept earlier than originally theorized. But it’s still a treat to watch as babies make these discoveries. This sweet little guy was shared to IG by baby.afection.

Dan Wuori

186,123 views • 2 years ago

This is Kenyan President William Ruto boasting that Kenyans speak better English than Nigerians 🤣🤣🤣 He is confusing accent with diction. When African presidents boast that their citizens speak “better English” than others, they are not demonstrating a strong education system, as Ruto claims, they are showcasing a deep inferiority complex rooted in colonial conditioning. English is a colonial language, not a measure of intelligence, capability, or national progress. You can be fully fluent in a language and still have an accent that is difficult for some listeners to understand, as Nigerians do. Fluency means you have a strong command of vocabulary, grammar, and the ability to express ideas. Accent, on the other hand, relates to pronunciation, rhythm, and intonation, which are shaped by your first language and speech environment, which is what Ruto is confusing with good English. Has he ever had someone from Scotland, Liverpool, or Birmingham speak? Accents are a natural linguistic outcome, not a measure of education. They emerge from the influence of a person’s first language, the sounds and speech patterns they grow up with, and the environment in which they learn and use another language. Every language has its own phonetic structure, and when people speak a second language like English, those underlying patterns shape pronunciation, rhythm, and tone. That is why accents vary across regions and countries. They reflect history, identity, and exposure, not intellectual or educational superiority. I know that there is some kind of tension between Nigeria and Kenya, but such misleading statements undermine the confidence of young people. When they hear a president speak like that about how they speak, it erodes their self-belief, and that is not a good thing to come from a president.
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This is Kenyan President William Ruto boasting that Kenyans speak better English than Nigerians 🤣🤣🤣 He is confusing accent with diction. When African presidents boast that their citizens speak “better English” than others, they are not demonstrating a strong education system, as Ruto claims, they are showcasing a deep inferiority complex rooted in colonial conditioning. English is a colonial language, not a measure of intelligence, capability, or national progress. You can be fully fluent in a language and still have an accent that is difficult for some listeners to understand, as Nigerians do. Fluency means you have a strong command of vocabulary, grammar, and the ability to express ideas. Accent, on the other hand, relates to pronunciation, rhythm, and intonation, which are shaped by your first language and speech environment, which is what Ruto is confusing with good English. Has he ever had someone from Scotland, Liverpool, or Birmingham speak? Accents are a natural linguistic outcome, not a measure of education. They emerge from the influence of a person’s first language, the sounds and speech patterns they grow up with, and the environment in which they learn and use another language. Every language has its own phonetic structure, and when people speak a second language like English, those underlying patterns shape pronunciation, rhythm, and tone. That is why accents vary across regions and countries. They reflect history, identity, and exposure, not intellectual or educational superiority. I know that there is some kind of tension between Nigeria and Kenya, but such misleading statements undermine the confidence of young people. When they hear a president speak like that about how they speak, it erodes their self-belief, and that is not a good thing to come from a president.

Hopewell Chin’ono

141,221 views • 1 month ago

Infants are the world’s most accomplished language learners. As the process unfolds, children pass through stages of progressively more complex “babbling” before they begin using conventional words. But babbling isn’t limited to spoken language. Deaf children and the children of deaf parents pass through similar stages as they approximate the use of sign language - which brings us to this video, shared to IG by oursignedworld. Watch how locked in this little guy is as he “speaks” with his deaf father, observing dad’s sign language and then “babbling” back with his arms and hands. In time he will become both an accomplished signer and speaker. What a lovely example of language acquisition in process.
1:05

Infants are the world’s most accomplished language learners. As the process unfolds, children pass through stages of progressively more complex “babbling” before they begin using conventional words. But babbling isn’t limited to spoken language. Deaf children and the children of deaf parents pass through similar stages as they approximate the use of sign language - which brings us to this video, shared to IG by oursignedworld. Watch how locked in this little guy is as he “speaks” with his deaf father, observing dad’s sign language and then “babbling” back with his arms and hands. In time he will become both an accomplished signer and speaker. What a lovely example of language acquisition in process.

Dan Wuori

107,090 views • 10 months ago

Now here’s a little guy who LOVES his pacifier. This is a topic I’ve avoided to date, largely because there are so many varying opinions on the matter. For me the question isn’t so much whether to use one, but for how long. Infants are born with a strong sucking reflex and pacifiers can help them to soothe and sleep. There’s even some evidence to suggest that sleeping with pacifiers might reduce the risk of SIDS. In short: for babies (up to a year), I’m a fan. But it’s not uncommon to see children with pacifiers well into toddlerhood, and in some cases, even beyond. And here I’d raise some cautions. Children who rely heavily on pacifiers may be more prone to middle ear infections. And dentists note that prolonged pacifier use can affect your child’s teeth and create bite issues. Perhaps most importantly is their potential to impact expressive language development. Your child’s ability to speak is an important one. After a point, language shapes not only the content of our thinking, but the very structure of our cognition. By otherwise occupying the mouth over long periods of time, pacifiers may slow language development by limiting opportunities for expression. Speaking with a pacifier in the mouth can also lead to distortion of speech sounds (even when they aren’t in the mouth). All told, I’m an advocate for beginning to wean off of pacifiers at around one year of age. The transition can be difficult - but not nearly as challenging as for a child who has become dependent over a period of years. Do/did you use pacifiers with your child? Why or why not? How did you help transition away from their use? This sweet little one (for whom a pacifier is still completely age appropriate) was shared to IG by voroujakeman.
1:07

Now here’s a little guy who LOVES his pacifier. This is a topic I’ve avoided to date, largely because there are so many varying opinions on the matter. For me the question isn’t so much whether to use one, but for how long. Infants are born with a strong sucking reflex and pacifiers can help them to soothe and sleep. There’s even some evidence to suggest that sleeping with pacifiers might reduce the risk of SIDS. In short: for babies (up to a year), I’m a fan. But it’s not uncommon to see children with pacifiers well into toddlerhood, and in some cases, even beyond. And here I’d raise some cautions. Children who rely heavily on pacifiers may be more prone to middle ear infections. And dentists note that prolonged pacifier use can affect your child’s teeth and create bite issues. Perhaps most importantly is their potential to impact expressive language development. Your child’s ability to speak is an important one. After a point, language shapes not only the content of our thinking, but the very structure of our cognition. By otherwise occupying the mouth over long periods of time, pacifiers may slow language development by limiting opportunities for expression. Speaking with a pacifier in the mouth can also lead to distortion of speech sounds (even when they aren’t in the mouth). All told, I’m an advocate for beginning to wean off of pacifiers at around one year of age. The transition can be difficult - but not nearly as challenging as for a child who has become dependent over a period of years. Do/did you use pacifiers with your child? Why or why not? How did you help transition away from their use? This sweet little one (for whom a pacifier is still completely age appropriate) was shared to IG by voroujakeman.

Dan Wuori

335,600 views • 2 years ago

DON’T TELL US HOW TO SPEAK! Just as any two living creatures have a common ancestor in the tree of life, so any two languages have a common tongue from which they ultimately derived. Scientists currently believe that the world’s 6,000 modern languages, from English to Mandarin, can all be traced back to a ‘mother tongue’ - an ancestral language spoken in Africa 50,000 to 70,000 years ago. Differently put: all languages are descended from primordial African! This makes it all the more galling that Africans who visit, work or live outside of the continent are often taunted and laughed at because sometimes they don’t pronounce English words ‘properly’ - even though these words are ‘deviations’ (however far removed) from African-language words. The continent’s turbulent history of colonisation is the reason for the use of European languages in African schools, commerce and governments today. However, something that is overlooked is that most Africans are accustomed to speaking multiple languages, perhaps three or more, throughout the course of a single day. That’s one reason Africans pronounce certain words with an accent - they can speak other languages fluently enough for those languages to interfere with their English. In this clip, Anna Mwalagho (@mamaafricaanna) - an African storyteller living in the United States - gives a passionate defence of the uniqueness of African accents, arguing that this diversity is something to celebrate and be proud of. Hit like if you agree. Video Credit: @mamaafricaanna (IG)
1:31

DON’T TELL US HOW TO SPEAK! Just as any two living creatures have a common ancestor in the tree of life, so any two languages have a common tongue from which they ultimately derived. Scientists currently believe that the world’s 6,000 modern languages, from English to Mandarin, can all be traced back to a ‘mother tongue’ - an ancestral language spoken in Africa 50,000 to 70,000 years ago. Differently put: all languages are descended from primordial African! This makes it all the more galling that Africans who visit, work or live outside of the continent are often taunted and laughed at because sometimes they don’t pronounce English words ‘properly’ - even though these words are ‘deviations’ (however far removed) from African-language words. The continent’s turbulent history of colonisation is the reason for the use of European languages in African schools, commerce and governments today. However, something that is overlooked is that most Africans are accustomed to speaking multiple languages, perhaps three or more, throughout the course of a single day. That’s one reason Africans pronounce certain words with an accent - they can speak other languages fluently enough for those languages to interfere with their English. In this clip, Anna Mwalagho (@mamaafricaanna) - an African storyteller living in the United States - gives a passionate defence of the uniqueness of African accents, arguing that this diversity is something to celebrate and be proud of. Hit like if you agree. Video Credit: @mamaafricaanna (IG)

African Stream

64,044 views • 1 year ago

Your baby learns to speak - not just from listening - but from watching. 👀 I’ve written many times about the keen observational powers of babies. Infants are expert observers of their parents’ faces, which (among other lessons) provide important clues as to how mom and dad manage to make those wonderful sounds that come out of their mouths. But I’ve rarely seen this point better illustrated than in this fantastic video shared to TT by goldenlvngz. Watch carefully and you’ll note that our hero’s eyes remain laser focused on Mom’s mouth. It’s not as simple as hearing the word “mama” and replicating it quite yet. First there’s the question of just how exactly one uses their mouth to make the “ma” sound. Watch as baby makes multiple, silent attempts to mimic the movement of mom’s mouth, before attempting to voice the word himself. The first couple tries produce a visually similar sound: “ba.” But after several more attempts and a little more modeling from Mom, the sound rings out at last: “Ma.” One of the most interesting videos I think I’ve ever shared. A fascinating window on his language learning.
0:57

Your baby learns to speak - not just from listening - but from watching. 👀 I’ve written many times about the keen observational powers of babies. Infants are expert observers of their parents’ faces, which (among other lessons) provide important clues as to how mom and dad manage to make those wonderful sounds that come out of their mouths. But I’ve rarely seen this point better illustrated than in this fantastic video shared to TT by goldenlvngz. Watch carefully and you’ll note that our hero’s eyes remain laser focused on Mom’s mouth. It’s not as simple as hearing the word “mama” and replicating it quite yet. First there’s the question of just how exactly one uses their mouth to make the “ma” sound. Watch as baby makes multiple, silent attempts to mimic the movement of mom’s mouth, before attempting to voice the word himself. The first couple tries produce a visually similar sound: “ba.” But after several more attempts and a little more modeling from Mom, the sound rings out at last: “Ma.” One of the most interesting videos I think I’ve ever shared. A fascinating window on his language learning.

Dan Wuori

102,149 views • 1 year ago

Your baby learns to speak - not just from listening - but from watching. 👀 I’ve written many times about the keen observational powers of babies. Infants are expert observers of their parents’ faces, which (among other lessons) provide important clues as to how mom and dad manage to make those wonderful sounds that come out of their mouths. But I’ve rarely seen this point better illustrated than in this fantastic video shared to TT by goldenlvngz. Watch carefully and you’ll note that our hero’s eyes remain laser focused on Mom’s mouth. It’s not as simple as hearing the word “mama” and replicating it quite yet. First there’s the question of just how exactly one uses their mouth to make the “ma” sound. Watch as baby makes multiple, silent attempts to mimic the movement of mom’s mouth, before attempting to voice the word himself. The first couple tries produce a visually similar sound: “ba.” But after several more attempts and a little more modeling from Mom, the sound rings out at last: “Ma.” One of the most interesting videos I think I’ve ever shared. A fascinating window on his language learning.
0:58

Your baby learns to speak - not just from listening - but from watching. 👀 I’ve written many times about the keen observational powers of babies. Infants are expert observers of their parents’ faces, which (among other lessons) provide important clues as to how mom and dad manage to make those wonderful sounds that come out of their mouths. But I’ve rarely seen this point better illustrated than in this fantastic video shared to TT by goldenlvngz. Watch carefully and you’ll note that our hero’s eyes remain laser focused on Mom’s mouth. It’s not as simple as hearing the word “mama” and replicating it quite yet. First there’s the question of just how exactly one uses their mouth to make the “ma” sound. Watch as baby makes multiple, silent attempts to mimic the movement of mom’s mouth, before attempting to voice the word himself. The first couple tries produce a visually similar sound: “ba.” But after several more attempts and a little more modeling from Mom, the sound rings out at last: “Ma.” One of the most interesting videos I think I’ve ever shared. A fascinating window on his language learning.

Dan Wuori

121,176 views • 11 months ago

At the heart of children’s social and emotional development is self-awareness – a growing sense of who they are as individuals. Over the next several weeks I’ll be partnering with The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood (the UK’s Royal Foundation Centre on Early Childhood) to explore children’s social and emotional development in celebration of the Centre’s newest publication, The Shaping Us Framework (a link to which you can find in the first reply below). For infants, knowing oneself – the first of six skill clusters identified in the Framework – is a skill developed from square one. Which is to say that, as newborns, we are not yet equipped with the self-awareness necessary to understand ourselves as independent beings. Indeed, it is not until 6-9 months of age that we begin to realize that we are separate from our caregivers. How we come to understand ourselves is, in part, a reflection on how we are responded to from our earliest moments. Speaking of reflections, did you know that it’s not until 15-18 months that infants recognize that the reflection in a mirror is actually them? Check out this lovely video example, shared to TT by talinfakhoorian, in which her son finds delight in interacting with the hilarious new “friend” he’s found in the mirror. As he grows, his sense of self will develop in important new ways. In the next post in this series, I’ll talk about the emergence of agency and the importance of allowing your toddler to make appropriate choices of their own.
0:38

At the heart of children’s social and emotional development is self-awareness – a growing sense of who they are as individuals. Over the next several weeks I’ll be partnering with The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood (the UK’s Royal Foundation Centre on Early Childhood) to explore children’s social and emotional development in celebration of the Centre’s newest publication, The Shaping Us Framework (a link to which you can find in the first reply below). For infants, knowing oneself – the first of six skill clusters identified in the Framework – is a skill developed from square one. Which is to say that, as newborns, we are not yet equipped with the self-awareness necessary to understand ourselves as independent beings. Indeed, it is not until 6-9 months of age that we begin to realize that we are separate from our caregivers. How we come to understand ourselves is, in part, a reflection on how we are responded to from our earliest moments. Speaking of reflections, did you know that it’s not until 15-18 months that infants recognize that the reflection in a mirror is actually them? Check out this lovely video example, shared to TT by talinfakhoorian, in which her son finds delight in interacting with the hilarious new “friend” he’s found in the mirror. As he grows, his sense of self will develop in important new ways. In the next post in this series, I’ll talk about the emergence of agency and the importance of allowing your toddler to make appropriate choices of their own.

Dan Wuori

73,199 views • 1 year ago

Want to prepare your baby for a lifetime of success? Make literacy a priority from the start. As strange as it may sound, you needn’t even wait until they are born to begin reading aloud. That’s because your baby can hear you - and begins familiarizing themself with the sound of your voice and the rhythms and patterns of your native language - during the third trimester of pregnancy. Once they do arrive, surround your child with spoken and written language. Speak, read, sing… and model reading as a skill and interest of your own. (Remember there’s nobody your child wants to emulate more than you.) With infants you can’t go wrong with board books like the one shown here - which is not only sturdy, but incorporates sensory elements for our hero to explore. Watch how he follows Mom’s lead example, touching the bear’s nose. Do/did you have favorite board books at your house? I’d love to add them to my list. This little reader was shared to IG by theoriginal_captain.
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Want to prepare your baby for a lifetime of success? Make literacy a priority from the start. As strange as it may sound, you needn’t even wait until they are born to begin reading aloud. That’s because your baby can hear you - and begins familiarizing themself with the sound of your voice and the rhythms and patterns of your native language - during the third trimester of pregnancy. Once they do arrive, surround your child with spoken and written language. Speak, read, sing… and model reading as a skill and interest of your own. (Remember there’s nobody your child wants to emulate more than you.) With infants you can’t go wrong with board books like the one shown here - which is not only sturdy, but incorporates sensory elements for our hero to explore. Watch how he follows Mom’s lead example, touching the bear’s nose. Do/did you have favorite board books at your house? I’d love to add them to my list. This little reader was shared to IG by theoriginal_captain.

Dan Wuori

188,607 views • 2 years ago

Is it possible to spoil your baby by being too responsive? The short answer is no. Somewhere along the way, we developed the notion that letting babies “cry it out” was good for them. In reality, it’s just the opposite. Warm and responsive relationships help infants develop trust, attachment, and a sense of security… which, in turn, lead to self-reliance and the ability to regulate’s one’s own emotions. These abilities have been linked to higher self-esteem, improved stress management, healthier relationships, and even superior academic performance. This lovely video, shared to IG by previvor2survivor states the case beautifully. This is probably an opportune time for a reminder that parenting is not an all or nothing proposition. It’s impractical to think that even the most attentive parent will be able to respond instantly to EVERY cry. And within the context of a warm and responsive relationship, that’s just fine. In finite amounts, opportunities for your baby to self-soothe can be beneficial. But if you’ve been convinced that responding too often to your infant’s expressions of need is the path to spoiling, think again. Infants can’t be spoiled by love. It’s just that simple.
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Is it possible to spoil your baby by being too responsive? The short answer is no. Somewhere along the way, we developed the notion that letting babies “cry it out” was good for them. In reality, it’s just the opposite. Warm and responsive relationships help infants develop trust, attachment, and a sense of security… which, in turn, lead to self-reliance and the ability to regulate’s one’s own emotions. These abilities have been linked to higher self-esteem, improved stress management, healthier relationships, and even superior academic performance. This lovely video, shared to IG by previvor2survivor states the case beautifully. This is probably an opportune time for a reminder that parenting is not an all or nothing proposition. It’s impractical to think that even the most attentive parent will be able to respond instantly to EVERY cry. And within the context of a warm and responsive relationship, that’s just fine. In finite amounts, opportunities for your baby to self-soothe can be beneficial. But if you’ve been convinced that responding too often to your infant’s expressions of need is the path to spoiling, think again. Infants can’t be spoiled by love. It’s just that simple.

Dan Wuori

451,106 views • 2 years ago

This is the horrific act of abuse in question, right? So in the version of events where we’re going berserk over this- we’re believing that this child understands the conversation taking place, and the context of the conversation, feels ridiculed by his evil gay fathers because he knows what the word “mama” is and is trying to say it and they’re openly mocking his pain, and realizes he’s doomed to a life of emptiness and misery because he’s contemplating all that is missing from his life- not what he has. Which, again, is two obviously evil men- maybe even Satanic- raising him and abusing him. That sounds right to me. Certainly, much more likely than the idea that babies mumble, usually starting with an M sound because it’s an easier bilabial sound, and that sometimes they get fussy and cry- and it probably isn’t connected to a deep cataclysmic depression due to the complex matrix of existential environmental stressors.
0:40

This is the horrific act of abuse in question, right? So in the version of events where we’re going berserk over this- we’re believing that this child understands the conversation taking place, and the context of the conversation, feels ridiculed by his evil gay fathers because he knows what the word “mama” is and is trying to say it and they’re openly mocking his pain, and realizes he’s doomed to a life of emptiness and misery because he’s contemplating all that is missing from his life- not what he has. Which, again, is two obviously evil men- maybe even Satanic- raising him and abusing him. That sounds right to me. Certainly, much more likely than the idea that babies mumble, usually starting with an M sound because it’s an easier bilabial sound, and that sometimes they get fussy and cry- and it probably isn’t connected to a deep cataclysmic depression due to the complex matrix of existential environmental stressors.

Brandon Straka #WalkAway

137,812 views • 1 month ago

How does the presence of older siblings influence the development of language? This lovely video brought my mind immediately to research on the topic. There is some consensus that the presence of one or more siblings can correlate with slightly slower* language development among children who are not first born. This is because parents juggling the demands of multiple children generally have less time for one-on-one interaction. But research suggests that this the presence of a “cognitively sensitive” sibling can mitigate against such delays. What is “cognitively sensitive?” It’s this little guy. Notice how he not only takes time out to deliberately expose his newborn sister to language and vocabulary, but makes an effort to slow and simplify his language in recognition that he’s speaking with a baby. He shows the photos. He points (as he’s able) to match vocabulary with what’s on display. It’s like having a third, mini-parent. What a fantastic little teacher. *By the way, the delayed language often displayed by younger siblings is not anything to get too worked up about. Might they develop a little slower? In some cases yes. But do they catch up and close this gap? Also yes. In the long run, there’s also plenty of reason to believe that the presence of siblings can be advantageous. Though subsequent siblings may receive slightly less one-on-one time, they are often exposed to richer and more varied language due to the presence of older children in the home. What was your experience? This loving brother-sister pair was shared to IG by halesmoore.
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How does the presence of older siblings influence the development of language? This lovely video brought my mind immediately to research on the topic. There is some consensus that the presence of one or more siblings can correlate with slightly slower* language development among children who are not first born. This is because parents juggling the demands of multiple children generally have less time for one-on-one interaction. But research suggests that this the presence of a “cognitively sensitive” sibling can mitigate against such delays. What is “cognitively sensitive?” It’s this little guy. Notice how he not only takes time out to deliberately expose his newborn sister to language and vocabulary, but makes an effort to slow and simplify his language in recognition that he’s speaking with a baby. He shows the photos. He points (as he’s able) to match vocabulary with what’s on display. It’s like having a third, mini-parent. What a fantastic little teacher. *By the way, the delayed language often displayed by younger siblings is not anything to get too worked up about. Might they develop a little slower? In some cases yes. But do they catch up and close this gap? Also yes. In the long run, there’s also plenty of reason to believe that the presence of siblings can be advantageous. Though subsequent siblings may receive slightly less one-on-one time, they are often exposed to richer and more varied language due to the presence of older children in the home. What was your experience? This loving brother-sister pair was shared to IG by halesmoore.

Dan Wuori

418,371 views • 2 years ago

Few people grasp the true significance of an English-speaking Pope As someone who’s lived abroad for several years, I can tell you this — no matter how well you learn a language, it’s always foreign The simple fact that Pope Leo himself — not to mention all Americans — can now express himself perfectly, deftly, and eloquently in his native tongue (which is also the world’s lingua franca) is revolutionary First, it flips the tables on the games reporters played in the past by purposefully mistranslating or spinning the words of pontiffs (you still don’t know just how bad this was) Second, it opens up missions opportunities the world over. Yes, previous popes have spoken foreign languages. But their use of those languages is typically limited to use during specific events/visits After their own native language, people are typically most comfortable with English. They will now be able to understand Pope Leo when he speaks his native tongue — and, consequently, when he is most himself. (More on this in the next point. But the fact that English is best known amongst younger generations should not be lost on you here either) Third, the fact that Pope Leo XIV is from the United States will open up lines of dialogue we’ve never seen before. This is not only because of language, but because of CULTURE For ex, the first place I ever lived abroad was Buenos Aires, and it was while Pope Francis was still archbishop there. Because I was younger, I soaked up much more of the language and culture than I have in experiences since I mention this simply to say that every time Pope Francis spoke his native castellano (Spanish), I felt like he was a different man to the one I knew when he spokeEnglish or Italian. He was simply more himself. And even though Spanish was a foreign language for ME, I still felt like I knew him better when he spoke it But even more powerful here is culture. Most Americans like to think we’re quite similar to the Europeans, but it’s simply not true. In fact, the veneer of similarity often leads to even more deep-level misunderstandings The fact Americans and the Pope now have direct lines of communication to one another — not just linguistically, but culturally — is a watershed moment. I expect LOTS of misunderstandings between American Catholics and the global Church to be cleared up during this pontificate. More inroads to goodwill, more inroads to unity. Many good things to come Lastly, think briefly about how this spills into the world of politics. Last time JD Vance (Vice President of the US) met the pope, it was an American meeting and Argentinian in an Italian cultural context. Next time JD Vance meets the pope, it will be two Americans meeting. They will speak the same language. They will share the same culture. The barriers to arriving at a sympathetic and potentially even friendly mutual understanding — while not non-existent — are lower than they’ve ever been I could write more, but I’ll stop before this becomes a novel Suffice it to say, there is much to be hopeful for There is much to look forward to
0:57

Few people grasp the true significance of an English-speaking Pope As someone who’s lived abroad for several years, I can tell you this — no matter how well you learn a language, it’s always foreign The simple fact that Pope Leo himself — not to mention all Americans — can now express himself perfectly, deftly, and eloquently in his native tongue (which is also the world’s lingua franca) is revolutionary First, it flips the tables on the games reporters played in the past by purposefully mistranslating or spinning the words of pontiffs (you still don’t know just how bad this was) Second, it opens up missions opportunities the world over. Yes, previous popes have spoken foreign languages. But their use of those languages is typically limited to use during specific events/visits After their own native language, people are typically most comfortable with English. They will now be able to understand Pope Leo when he speaks his native tongue — and, consequently, when he is most himself. (More on this in the next point. But the fact that English is best known amongst younger generations should not be lost on you here either) Third, the fact that Pope Leo XIV is from the United States will open up lines of dialogue we’ve never seen before. This is not only because of language, but because of CULTURE For ex, the first place I ever lived abroad was Buenos Aires, and it was while Pope Francis was still archbishop there. Because I was younger, I soaked up much more of the language and culture than I have in experiences since I mention this simply to say that every time Pope Francis spoke his native castellano (Spanish), I felt like he was a different man to the one I knew when he spokeEnglish or Italian. He was simply more himself. And even though Spanish was a foreign language for ME, I still felt like I knew him better when he spoke it But even more powerful here is culture. Most Americans like to think we’re quite similar to the Europeans, but it’s simply not true. In fact, the veneer of similarity often leads to even more deep-level misunderstandings The fact Americans and the Pope now have direct lines of communication to one another — not just linguistically, but culturally — is a watershed moment. I expect LOTS of misunderstandings between American Catholics and the global Church to be cleared up during this pontificate. More inroads to goodwill, more inroads to unity. Many good things to come Lastly, think briefly about how this spills into the world of politics. Last time JD Vance (Vice President of the US) met the pope, it was an American meeting and Argentinian in an Italian cultural context. Next time JD Vance meets the pope, it will be two Americans meeting. They will speak the same language. They will share the same culture. The barriers to arriving at a sympathetic and potentially even friendly mutual understanding — while not non-existent — are lower than they’ve ever been I could write more, but I’ll stop before this becomes a novel Suffice it to say, there is much to be hopeful for There is much to look forward to

Evan Amato

418,696 views • 1 year ago