Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Wrap It Up....

MonkeyBoy is the child that will take 1 hour to tell you about a 30 second commercial, he likes to be VERY descriptive. For a while we just sat and endured, then we started giving him the universal sign for "WRAP IT UP" (moving one or both hands in a circular motion-kinda like you were helping someone back into a parking space). "Mean" you say....Well unless I have 45 minutes for him to act out and recite all of the dialog from the commercial for the new Simpson's movie I gotta twirl some arm. Lately MonkeyBoy gets this sly grin and pretends to not see my arms flailing about....Anyone know where I can get one of those giant hook things they used on the Gong Show?

We do this because we love him, really! I have had conversations with him about how important it is to be able to give a QUICK but complete description. Say that he witnessed a bank being robbed.....Yeah he could probably give the police a great description but the first 45 minutes would be-- that the bad guy first went to the young teller and she then handed him a $10, then a $5, then a $20 then a $10 then a $20 then a $5 and so on until he told them bill by bill how the guy got away with a million dollars...then and only then would he get to the part about the bad guy. That he had double knots in his Nikes, pants that were too short, a shirt with a small stain on the sleeve, an earring in his nose, and ran to a small rusty greenish car with stuffed animals in the rear window and Burger King wrappers in the front....But FOR THE LOVE OF GOD- the bad guy would be in Mexico before he could finish his statement.

I think that it is amazing that he is so observant; and we are really working on helping him seek out KEY details and then relate them concisely. Consider the fact that he has to do book reports that will one day turn into essays and then term papers.....

Have any of you had to deal with something like this?

3 comments:

Gina said...

That used to be me! Hubba-hubba would always tell me, "And your point is?" because I would put in too many extra details.

It is a skill he has to learn, to pick and choose the most pertinent facts. But he sounds like a very bright boy, he will get there! :)

Anonymous said...

My husband is that way...it takes him 4-EVER to tell a story.

Your son will probably be a writer. :)

mommiebear2 said...

Yes! My son does the exact same thing!! It drives me crazy!!