Abie asked me and I was supposed to post my comment. Then I realized I’d be replying longer than I should so I decided to post my views on the issue.
Very much like motor development, speech development is always an issue to parents. (These struggles seem to be unending. When the kids get older, peer pressure and too much magazine-reading influences them to worry how to build muscle or have bigger boobs and more curves. Worse, they are pressured as to who gets the more dates.)
I was offended twice by remarks of someone (same person) who kept comparing my daughter to her niece and nephews. I almost cried when she said in front of us and Mikee, “Come here, Mikee, may communication problem ito eh” but decided to keep quiet and just tried to understand that this person does not know yet that you’re not supposed to say harsh words in front of a kid and these kinds of words could HURT a mother.
I know for a fact that speech delay is a reality. In fact, I have a friend who brings her son to therapies thrice a week.
Parents may have different views on speech delay but mine are as follows:
- I am NEVER a fan of comparison. I hate comparison so much. I have a friend who is a wife of cousin of my husband. We have daughters of almost the same age. But she and I have never compared notes about our daughters. I believe this mother knows it’s never healthy to compare kids. Thank goodness!
- Every child is unique. My sister was a late talker. She was always noisy mumbling stuff. Like Abie’s Bela, my sister was nauutal whenever she was overwhelmed and wanted to say so much. But my mom was never bothered. She had won declamation contests when she was younger, and had been hosting programs during her school days till now at work.
- If my pedia says Mikee is not delayed, then she is not delayed.
- My hubby argues that kids with pushy parents have greater suicidal tendencies. Hmm, makes sense.
To be honest, I think I am not bothered yet simply because me or any of my siblings were not advanced in our speech development.
(I initially did not want to brag but what the heck. My siblings are DLSU, UST and Mapua graduates. Comsci, Architecture and Com Eng respectively. I believe we excel in Math and Sciences. I was consistent Class Top 1 in St. James, grade 5 to 3rd year high. In Mapua, I got grades of 1.5 for my differential and integral calculus, subjects where 80% of the class failed. So do you really think I should worry?)
All I know is, like Mikee, we learned our numbers first before our ABCs. To each his own. 
