We’ve been counting things with Reid lately, especially pointing to fingers as we count. I read somewhere that kids need to make a link between something concrete and the numbers that they are saying. Reid seems to have made a link but this link is directly tied to particular fingers.
This morning, Reid and I were “sharing” cereal, which is to say that she wanted to eat my Bran Flakes while I pretended to eat her iron-filled, cardboard Nutrios. Reid was also mooching instant oatmeal from her dad and so I asked for my cereal back. She held up a finger and I asked if that meant she would be taking one more bite. Instead Reid switched her hand to hold up all four fingers and her thumb and said, “The thumb is for you.” She then folded down the appropriate fingers with each of her next four bites. Each finger on the hand that was also supposed to be holding onto her spoon, that is. Reid met my suggestion that she count on the fingers of the other hand with a look of “stop that crazy talk” and she continued eating. Apparently only the right thumb was for me. Who knows who the left thumb was for!