I make it a point to read books to my son before bedtime.

One night, he asked that we read his little books. Those were the books that were given to my husband as part of their Kris Kringle in the office. They are condensed versions of well-loved children’s tales. I’ve been reading those to him even before he was born.

We were reading Alice in Wonderland. My son loves animals and everything about them! He knows the mother-and-young pairs and can identify them even without a picture. We got to the pages when Alice encountered the rabbit and the caterpillar.

L: A baby rabbit is called … bunny!

Me: (Smiling proudly) Very good!

L: A baby caterpillar is called …

Me: (Wondering if he already know because we haven’t taught him about it yet.)

L: (Happily announced) Lizard!

Ooopppsss!!!!

We both laughed so hard after that! I told him that caterpillars and lizards are different from each other. I taught him that a caterpillar will become a butterfly and that lizards give birth to eggs.

I was really amused at my little boy and admired his creative thinking 🙂 He actually learns quickly when animals are involved. Also, it was his love for animals that encouraged him to speak more words 🙂