There is something to be said for talking to your babies with a normal tone of voice. I mean, sure, we all love to engage in a little baby talk with actual babies since that's really the only socially acceptable way to do baby talk. Also I think there are probably different degrees of normal voice so that's something to watch for as well. (I once knew a guy who would talk to babies like he was solemnly firing them and it was unsettling.) But this baby having a full-blown conversation with his dad like they were just pals hanging out? This is the sweet spot, my friends.
A new adorable video is making the rounds on Twitter right now for all of the best reasons. Because it's funny and sweet and loving and adorable. Also anything that includes babies is enough to send me down that internet rabbit hole where I can lose myself for a few pleasant hours.
The viral video first turned up on Facebook user Shanieke Pryor's social media feed, where it's gotten a whopping 21 million views. The mom from Tennessee posted a video of her little boy chatting amiably with his dad on the sofa as the two watched a season finale on television together. The only issue being the baby only knows a few words... not that he let that stop him.
The little boy says something to his father at the beginning of the video, and when the smiling dad asks him if he understood what was going on, he answered with a decisive, "No."
After that the two banter back and forth with a relaxed dialogue, the dad pointing out that this show is the grand finale and responding to his little boy's adorably gibberish as though he was speaking actual words. Probably my favorite part of the video is when the little boy gestures emphatically at the television and seems to get passionate and his dad says, "Really? I was thinking the same thing. We think a lot alike, huh?"
To which his son replies, "Bye bye bye."
Understandably the internet is loving this hilarious and heartwarming moment between father and son. It's already racked up 13.9 million views on Twitter alone and the comments all boil down to the same idea: this baby is the best.
As adorable and entertaining as this might be, research has found that speaking to your child in a conversational tone like this can actually do a world of good. A recent study conducted by York University in the United Kingdom found that children who were exposed to lots of adult conversation tended to have better cognitive abilities as they grew older. Being around adult conversation boosted their own language skills as well as helped to improve their drawing and creativity.
So it's not just funny and sweet, these moments with your kids genuinely helps them as they grow.
I suspect it isn't enough to simply drone on to kids in a regular tone of voice. The secret is engaging with them, making them feel understood even as their language skills are still developing.Because at the end of the day, isn't being understood the thing we all want most in the world?
Bye bye bye.
