Welcome back to Taylor Talks!
Yesterday, I had already posted for the day before eating dinner with my family, so I decided to keep the events of last night in my mind until today’s post. I think everyone will be amused by the life lessons taught at the dinner table last night.
Let me begin with some background information… I think I’ve written before about the struggles that my littlest sisters face due to the fact that they were born so premature and that they were born addicted to drugs. That being said, during dinner last night, we started discussing how Twin A has issues with processing information. This means that a lot of times, when you talk to her, she has no idea that you’re speaking to her or she can’t process what you are saying. She often asks “what?” three or four times, prompting to repeat what you just said, even if she’s looking directly at you, focusing, with no distractions. It can be difficult (for everyone), but it’s just something that you need to learn to deal with. So we somehow started discussing what could have possibly caused this processing disorder when my sister was born.
Yesterday, I had already posted for the day before eating dinner with my family, so I decided to keep the events of last night in my mind until today’s post. I think everyone will be amused by the life lessons taught at the dinner table last night.
Let me begin with some background information… I think I’ve written before about the struggles that my littlest sisters face due to the fact that they were born so premature and that they were born addicted to drugs. That being said, during dinner last night, we started discussing how Twin A has issues with processing information. This means that a lot of times, when you talk to her, she has no idea that you’re speaking to her or she can’t process what you are saying. She often asks “what?” three or four times, prompting to repeat what you just said, even if she’s looking directly at you, focusing, with no distractions. It can be difficult (for everyone), but it’s just something that you need to learn to deal with. So we somehow started discussing what could have possibly caused this processing disorder when my sister was born.
My brother, who is eleven, asked why Twin A has this problem, but Twin B does not. He didn’t understand the concept of how twins were born, or how they could be so different from one another. Twin B doesn’t face nearly as many struggles as Twin A does, yet, if their biological mother was doing drugs while pregnant, wouldn’t both of them be affected? He was very confused.
Well, wouldn’t you know that my mom just happens to have an easy explanation for everything?
We had ordered in food from a pizzeria last night, and had gotten garlic knots with the order. You know those little tin circular trays that food comes in? The ones that have the clear plastic lids, and you pinch the tin together over the lid to hold it in place? Well that’s what we had, and we happened to have two of them. So my mom used those as props for her little explanation.
She took the lids and explained how babies form in the middle of “bubbles” in the mom’s stomach. Using french fries from my little sister’s meal, she showed how identical twins are formed in one “bubble” (by breaking the french fry in half in one lid), and then showed how fraternal twins are formed (using one french fry in each of the lids). Then she used another french fry to show how the umbilical cord works, and how it splits at the end. She showed how most of the drugs somehow went into Twin A’s “bubble” while Twin B’s “bubble” didn’t receive as many of the drugs. She also showed everyone how if the girls had been identical, the umbilical cord wouldn’t be split and both girls would have been exposed to all of the same drugs.
I was amazed at how quickly my mom could think on her feet and get this whole explanation going. I sat there in awe as she explained this whole thing to my brother and sister, while my dad watched the twins in the other room. I was really impressed. The best part was that it made complete sense to my brother and sister, and they now understand the formation of twins completely. Sure, my brother still thinks that kissing makes a baby, but hey, that’s a conversation for another time (one that I don’t want to be a part of, thank you very much…).
How do you explain adult concepts to kids? Do you use fun materials, like the trays and french fries, to make concepts easier to understand and visualize? Let me know about difficult conversations you’ve had in the comments!
I’d greatly appreciate it if you would share this blog with friends and family through your favorite social media sites. If you’re sharing on Twitter, don’t forget to tag me (@TayTayK02) and use the hashtag #TaylorTalks.
Thanks!
Taylor
Well, wouldn’t you know that my mom just happens to have an easy explanation for everything?
We had ordered in food from a pizzeria last night, and had gotten garlic knots with the order. You know those little tin circular trays that food comes in? The ones that have the clear plastic lids, and you pinch the tin together over the lid to hold it in place? Well that’s what we had, and we happened to have two of them. So my mom used those as props for her little explanation.
She took the lids and explained how babies form in the middle of “bubbles” in the mom’s stomach. Using french fries from my little sister’s meal, she showed how identical twins are formed in one “bubble” (by breaking the french fry in half in one lid), and then showed how fraternal twins are formed (using one french fry in each of the lids). Then she used another french fry to show how the umbilical cord works, and how it splits at the end. She showed how most of the drugs somehow went into Twin A’s “bubble” while Twin B’s “bubble” didn’t receive as many of the drugs. She also showed everyone how if the girls had been identical, the umbilical cord wouldn’t be split and both girls would have been exposed to all of the same drugs.
I was amazed at how quickly my mom could think on her feet and get this whole explanation going. I sat there in awe as she explained this whole thing to my brother and sister, while my dad watched the twins in the other room. I was really impressed. The best part was that it made complete sense to my brother and sister, and they now understand the formation of twins completely. Sure, my brother still thinks that kissing makes a baby, but hey, that’s a conversation for another time (one that I don’t want to be a part of, thank you very much…).
How do you explain adult concepts to kids? Do you use fun materials, like the trays and french fries, to make concepts easier to understand and visualize? Let me know about difficult conversations you’ve had in the comments!
I’d greatly appreciate it if you would share this blog with friends and family through your favorite social media sites. If you’re sharing on Twitter, don’t forget to tag me (@TayTayK02) and use the hashtag #TaylorTalks.
Thanks!
Taylor
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