Statesboy

Kiernan is crazy about the states now.

It really is amazing to me how quickly he picks up on things. Once he decides to go after a particular thing, he goes after it whole hog. He's like his mother in this way. It's important for me to mention this, because I want people to realize we're not pushing Kiernan to learn all of this stuff. We introduce a wide variety of concepts to him, and he takes some of them and runs with them. Like letters for instance. He has always loved letters. Now it is true that we bought him many, many sets of letters to play with. Several sets of magnetic letters for the refrigerator. A couple sets of foam letters for the bathtub. Some big foam letters he could play with outside and make a mat out of if he wanted to. We both love letters and words so we focused on that. Still, he has cars and little plastic jungle animals and play-doh and stuff like that too.

But he really took to the letters. He loves writing his letters on the sidewalk or on his dry-erase boards. He loves the "ABC" song and insists we sing it with him--in a variety of voices--throughout the day. He sometimes takes his letters to bed. Sometimes I'd rather play with his toy cars--I admit it, singing about the alphabet two-hundred times a day in a sad imitation of Piglet's voice can get to me--but he won't have it.

His state puzzle was the same way. Wendy bought Kiernan a little state puzzle, pictured above, and he was immediately interested. I was a bit leery because some of the pieces are tiny, so not only is the puzzle a choking hazard, it is also really hard to do. I'm not sure it's clear from the photo above, but there are no channel lines for the puzzle pieces. The puzzle is a simple wood cut out and it is smooth, and the pieces don't click together or anything, so every time you bump it the pieces move. Two-and-a-half year olds don't tend to have the best fine motor skills, so there is plenty of bumping going on.

The choking thing was of no worry. Kiernan was a kid who put everything in his mouth when he was still crawling around. He seems to be over that now.

Of greater surprise to me is the fact that the level of difficulty issue was also of no worry. I cannot express to you how amazed I am at his learning curve on this thing. For the first few days, maybe a week or so, he wanted us to do the puzzle with him. Over and over and over again. Then he wanted to help. Then he would ask for help, but it was clear he didn't really need it. Either he was using us as a crutch, or else he was trying to make sure we didn't feel useless. I'm not sure. But within the space of about two weeks he was doing this puzzle on his own. Even the fine motor skills thing became a non-factor as he became able to maneuver the smallest of the pieces into place without help. Another few days and he was naming all of the states as he did so.

I'm not kidding.

Kiernan is not yet three years old and he can name every state in the union.

He's not reading them. Yes, he can read short words and recognize longer ones, but he has somehow memorized all fifty states by their shape and size and where they go. If I hold up Missouri, for example, and tell him I think it's New Hampshire, he'll say, "No, silly Daddy. That's Missouri. New Hampshire is over there. Next to Vermont."

Again. I'm not kidding. He knows the states better than we do. Far better. It's a little scary.

But as the man in the infomercial says, "Wait...there's more..."

Ask him if Washington, D.C. is a state. Go ahead. I dare you.

"No," he'll say.

You will inevitably then ask him what it is, if it isn't, indeed, a state.

"It's a district," he will say.

I'm working on the concept of commonwealths next.

What have I gotten out of all this? In addition to extreme parental pride I've learned each state's motto, so next time you see me, be sure to quiz me.

Otherwise, how am I ever going to get any use out of the knowledge that North Dakota is the Flickertail State?


Just don't ask me what in the world a Flickertail is. Or, for that matter, a Palmetto.

No matter. By that time I'm sure Kiernan will be able to tell you.