Reluctant

Reluctant is the best word that I can think of that describes Abby’s position on “talking.” She says only a few words, which are inconsistent at best. What she does do is babble… at this point, babbling plus all of her gestures are her means of communication. Unfortunately, she struggles to get her meaning across now and then which leads to frustration on her behalf. However, time and time again we have been told that it is a healthy sign that she is trying hard to communicate and cares whether or not we understand her.


We know that Abby doesn’t have a hearing problem because when we give commands or ask her to do something, she follows them or her gestures make it very apparent that she understands (even if she is defiant).

In my heart of heart, I know that nothing is wrong with Abby despite the fact that she is not really talking much at 17 months old. But hearing people say things like, “is she saying anything at home yet?” or “her problem is you guys do all the talking for her” is a bit frustrating because it seems to imply that Abby is either not as smart as other kids her age or that we (as parents) are enabling her not to talk and are ultimately responsible for her reluctance. We know that kids progress at different paces and that most people are too quick to compare – but we will continue to encourage Abby to express herself, as well as we will continue to repeat words slowly and clearly. Because in the end, almost always things even out.