Mr. Chatterbox (Mr. Men and Little Miss)Stephen’s home sick today with a nasty productive cough that starts up when he tries to talk, which is ALL THE TIME. The teachers love to tell me how much he talks at school.

One said:

He must be wonderful company when your husband’s not around. You can do your reading, and he’ll just keep on talking as long as you nod or say the occasional ‘uh huh.’

Another said:

I could make a cup of tea, put my feet up, and he could talk for all of England.

I was feeling a tiny bit embarrassed but actually more proud than anything else. Talking or oral language is considered a key foundation of literacy. From Raising Lifelong Learners by Lucy Calkins with Lydia Bellino:

…by the time our toddlers are of school age, we take their talk for granted. We have turned all our attention to their reading and writing, not realizing that talk is still the motor that propels their intellectual development. It is through talk that children learn to follow and tell stories, understand logical sequences, recognizing causes, anticipate consequences, explore options, and consider motives.

So instead of saying “please be quiet,” I am trying to given Stephen ample opportunity to talk, talk, talk, and talk some more. Much of the time it feels like he’s giving some sort of lecture or seminar! Hilarious. It also sounds like his teachers are rather tolerant of his chatterbox ways and we are truly grateful.