Language Acquisition

Julia has been watching reruns of the sitcom Full House. The other day she is retelling me the plot (if you can call it that) of an episode she especially liked. She pauses mid story and says that there was one part she didn't get. In the particular scene all three kids go racing through the kitchen. Danny laments that he has just waxed the kitchen floor. Julia says, "So does he spread the hot wax down, put a piece of paper over and rip. I mean that floor is huge. He'd be doing that all day. I just don't get it."

My baby with the Middle Eastern blood,,, the only wax she knows is the warm kind that is thinly spread over your upper lip and pulled off using a strip of paper.

D-E-F-E-N-S-E

Last week we attended one of Isaac's basketball games. Julia is moderately interested, at best. The parents are cheering and coaching from the bleachers. Halfway through the game, Julia lifts her index finger in the air (a cross between the universal one minute sign and a meek, questioning classroom hand raise). She says, "I just have one question. Is defense the name of a player or is it a thing?"