人間科学

人間はまず人間を知らなくてはなりません。人間を知らないで人間を生きようとするのは無理なことです。・・・・われわれが人間を知るのには、その一人であるところの自分を、注意ぶかく本気に生きることからはじめなくてはなりません。

『親しき友に』 p.10

Baby book experiment #3

Experiment #3: The moon book again at nap time. This time though, I said the lyrics of the Japanese lullaby (ゆりかごのうた) that I sing every time I put my baby down to sleep instead as I flipped the pages . Oh boy, he looked so sad, confused and almost angry that I had to quickly say, "OK, OK, let's read it again"! As I read it "the correct way," his facial expression gradually changed, and I got a smile at the end. :D *phew*

Is this amazing or what? I was pretty certain that my guess would be right again this time, but still, it pleasantly surprised me, in a way.

Good Evening, Dear Moon

In case anybody is wondering, the 絵本 (Japanese children's book) that I've been talking about this week is 『おつきさまこんばんは』 - "Otsukisama Konbanwa" by Akiko Hayashi whom I absolutely adore. I probably own all the books that she has illustrated/written.

The English version of this book is "Good Evening, Dear Moon." Nothing is better than the original, but I'd still recommend it to parents.

So I'm going to call the book "the moon book" on Twitter and this blog from now on.

Baby book experiment #2

Experiment #2: Baby was whiny at bedtime (his naps weren't great). I asked him, "Do you want to read?" about 5 times. No response.

I then said the title of the Japanese book, just like yesterday. He immediately opened his eyes and enjoyed the book with a big smile. :D

His reaction was exactly what I'd expected! I'm having too much fun observing how my three kids learn languages. :)

Princess reads to baby brother

My four-year-old daughter read "the book" to her baby brother today (it was her idea).

She can't read yet in any of the three languages but has memorized the story because I've been reading it since she was six months old.

I just loved watching the two kids! :D I wish I could have taken a photo, but I was holding the baby. :(


Note: She's reading a different book in this photo.

Multilingualism rocks

It's been a fascinating journey so far. I really wish more families could experience this!

The U.S. is less multilingual than I'd expected. If I don't count dialects, I have only met one trilingual in person here.

Quite monolingual in many places, and I've sadly heard "I wish I could speak another language!" countless times! :(

Baby book experiment #1

Experiment #1:
At nap time, my baby was crying with his eyes closed because he was getting sleepy. I couldn't help trying a little experiment.

We sat in a chair next to the crib, and I said, 「おつきさまこんばんは」 (the title of the Japanese children's book that we read every day). He opened his eyes right away, looked at the shelf where the book was and quietly waited for me to start reading! He even smiled while I read. I knew this would happen!

Baby went to sleep by himself in the crib without shedding a single tear. Love the magical power of real good books.

Babies understand languages

When I say the title of the Japanese book (『おつきさまこんばんは』) we always read, my baby reacts instantly. He really knows what I'm talking about!

I can totally see the excitement in his eyes. This shows seven months old babies do understand languages!

長男の葛藤

最近長男がやっと落ち着いてきたような気がします。長女が生まれてから約４年半。長男の心の中では様々な葛藤があったことでしょうが、私自身本気で悩みました。喧嘩を全くしないことを望んでいたわけではないのですが、どうしてうちの子たちは仲が悪いのだろう？と。

ここ１，２週間、長男の長女への変ないじめのようなものがほとんどなかったな、と昨夜ふと思いました。時間が解決したのでしょうか？今年弟ができたのもよかったのでしょう。もしこの状態が続けば、初めてホッと一息つけるかも。母親業７年、まだまだ未熟者ですが。

盲腸騒ぎ？

昨夜娘が盲腸のあたりを痛がり焦りました。お医者さんに電話して指示を受け様子をみることに。手術後には『げんきなマドレーヌ』や大好きな『よるのびょういん』を読んでやろうなどと考えましたが、今朝「いっぱいねたから　もういたくない」とスッキリした顔で起きてきました。