"The purpose of learning is growth, and our minds, unlike our bodies, can continue growing as we continue to live."
Mortimer Adler
I'm amazed at Pip's mind. Not just how quickly her vocabulary is expanding or how marvelously she picks up new concepts, but also her memory. More specifically, her memory compared to my memory.
Case in point: Mother Goose songs. Every week when we attend our Mother Goose session, we learn a few new songs. The facilitators are very wise in their instruction because they break the song down line by line, then they repeat the whole song several times 'for the children.'
Now, I consider myself to be quite musical. I've taken oodles of formal music lessons, played instruments since I was ten, written my own songs, performed in loads of musicals, yet thirty minutes after learning the new Goose songs, they have vacated my brain. Pip, on the other hand, remembers both the lyrics and melodies! "What was the one about the mouse?" I'll ask, and Pip will launch into the song without hesitation, complete with hand gestures.
It's astonishing to me! Was my mind ever that good? Is my advanced-maternal-age to blame? How many brain cells did I actually lose during my pregnancies? Pip is a bit of a studier, and I have noticed that she'll often just watch and listen to the new songs being performed instead of actually joining in. Perhaps I should try that next time. All I know is that I am humbled by my three-year-old's brain, and I sincerely hope that her mind outperforms mine at every turn.
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