Por Favor

We have long known that R is a sponge, absorbing and repeating anything we say or do. While overall, this is a great thing and means she's learning, it also means we really have to watch ourselves. And sometimes we slip up, like the day I happened to use a great quote from Dazed and Confused over lunch, and she repeated the whole thing, potty words and all. But nothing is as amusing, or as surprising, as when she repeats something in a different situation.

Last week R asked me to open something for her, and she was pretty darn demanding. So I asked that age-old parent question, "How do you ask nicely?" and she replied with something that sounded like "por-pah-purr." So I repeated my question, and she repeated her answer. Finally, on the third try, I realized she was saying, "por favor," and that she was replying to me in Spanish. She got a big high-five for that one!

It's not like we've been trying to teach her Spanish. But we have been reading lots of books about Dora the Explorer, who happens to be bilingual, and R managed to make the connection that "por favor" in Spanish means the same thing as "please" in English. We are quiet impressed. And glad that Dora doesn't cuss!