Her feelings and her pride were hurt over this incident and she began to cry.  I asked her to stop crying and explained to her that if I tell her to rinse her mouth that is what I want her to do.  She said okay and we discussed her crying.  It was then that she looked at me with her sad eyes and said, "I'm not crying, I'm suffering."

I thought that was adorable and sweet and I realized that she is very intelligent.  She doesn't know exactly how to use the word, but she sure was close.  She associates crying with suffering, and sometimes that is so.  I am certain that this has something to do with the many books we read.  Reading is the best way, or one of the best ways, to introduce your child to new vocabulary.  By reading a lot, you are giving your child an ear to hear how words are used.  This is a very important skill as we are the only creatures in creation that can speak our thoughts and feelings and it is through speaking and the use of words that we are successful in this area of our lives.

It all ended well.  I complimented her choice of words and apologized for yelling.  We read a few stories and said goodnight.  I was going to mention some books that I like that teach vocabulary in a cute way, but I think I will save it for tomorrow.

If you do like to expose your child to lots of new words check out our Monkisee DVDs.  They are filled with original poetry, which introduces babies and young children to lots of new words that they might not otherwise encounter except in books.

www.monkisee.com