bjournal::juxtapoz

I was sitting with a family at dinner tonight. The boy was wearing a t-shirt from the Adirondack Mountains. It was a pretty cool looking shirt (it had leaves arranged in the shape of a hiking boot!), so I asked him about it (he’s in kindergarten, I think). After some probing from mom, he said he got it from his grandmother. I then asked him if he knew the words on it. He knew ‘mountains’ but didn’t know the other one.

This is where the story gets amazing.

His mother said the word, “Adirondacks,” and he looked down at the shirt. About a minute later, he repeated the word, “Adirondacks,” in conversation, as though it had been in his vocabulary for as long as he’s had one. I asked mom if he’d ever heard the word before, and she said he hadn’t.

I was floored (kids are amazing). Doubly so when mom wasn’t particularly impressed (not that she is indifferent).