Every day when I pick Max up at day care, as we're making our way to the car, I ask him if he had a good day (Always “Yes!”) and what he did that day… his go-to answer to questions has always been “I don't know”
Reading a book, he'll point to something and say “What's this?” and we say “What is it?” he responds “I don't know!” then thinks a moment and comes up with the correct answer, be it a color, a shape or an object.
So today, I picked him up and asked him what he did today. His answer, for the first time ever! Was an actual answer! “I played books! I played cars! I love cars!”
He spends a lot of time telling us things he loves; people at day care (both the provider, Michelle, and the other kids), foods, when he's eating them (“I looove french fries!”), things mentioned in books we're looking at (“Stinky socks! I love stinky socks!”
It's a joy to have the time in the car every afternoon, as he becomes more and more of a participant in our conversations; I know I'll miss this someday, several years from now, when I ask “What did you do at school today?” And the answer is a sullen “Nothin'”
I love that! What a sweet boy!
Ohhhh, I am entering the sullen age with my oldest and it is sooo sad for me. He has always been my little "conversationalist". He asked me questions constantly and responded to mine. Now, it is a lot of the "Nothing, mom." or "The same." *sigh* My three youngest are still pretty chatty, but still…
When we lived in San Ramon in the 1980s and I was working in Castro Valley, I'd take you to Montessori School. I think you were about 3, maybe 4. We'd have these conversations on the 10 mile drive over Crow Canyon, which was still a twisty country road. One day, as we pulled up to the school, you said, "We're having a good time, aren't we Daddy!"
*Melt* Yeah. A good time indeed.
I love those moments when you finally get what you've been waiting for! My son is on the spectrum and for the first 3 years of school when I'd ask him what he did, he just wouldn't respond at all. Finally one day, he told me that he read a train book! I was elated!!
Enjoy it while you can. That "nuthin" comes sooner than you think!
Or you could get lucky like me! I would pick up my kid at daycare and for the 10 minutes it took to drive home, they BOTH talked non-stop! Even @ 12 and 16 now, they both still talk. If I ask questions like "how was your day" I don't get as good answers as when I just wait for them to let it all spill out. I bet your guy will be sharing with you for a long time to come 🙂