"Hearing" your child

Bear with me, another mini rant is going to happen here.
The other night I was told by my well-meaning mom friend, another woman with her child in the care of someone else over 50 hours a week, that baby sign language is a good way of teaching them how to communicate with you so you don't get frustrated with them.

I smiled and nodded but was screaming inside. How sad, too.

Every human being is intrinsically born with a way to communicate. Not all verbal- some physical, some emotional. For a primary, parental caregiver like myself, teaching my 7 month old sign language to talk to me seems a bit like training a dolphin to do tricks and my son is no dolphin!

Now sign language may be beneficial if someone in the family HAS a hearing problem, but I can assure you no one in this person's family does and no one in my family or friend circle does either. There is no other reason for it than to make communication easier on YOU by teaching your child a way of telling you something is wrong because heaven-forbid you're around them long enough to understand their facial expressions and different cries.

Lately, little guy has been showing more of the colorful expressions he's always had from birth. If there was ever a child born into the world as stubborn as could be, it would be my son. He's never had a problem telling us exactly what he likes and doesn't like.

Have we become so out of touch with our own children that we no longer 'hear' them when we hear them?

I don't NEED sign language to tell me when my son is upset or when he's happy.

And I'd love to tell all the part-time parents just that. It's NOT normal to not understand a baby's cry for physical comfort. Maybe our society is wholly plugged-in and tuned-out to the basic needs and desires of the children.

Then again, that's what happens in a world where we de-value the elderly and the young alike.