Screaming with Chase

Chase Austin Kuhn – my 9-month-old grandson – discovering the allure of climbing the stairs.

He and I were alone in the house, and he was experimenting with his voice – making different sounds, varying the intensity and volume, as he researched his range of expression. I was fascinated.

So I started mimicking each vocalization. He started grinning. We were communicating, and he was leading the communication. So yes, eventually, he got into screaming, screeching – and he has lungs! Normally those kinds of sounds hurt my ears; but this time, seeing his grin and hearing his chortle between screams, was worth it. So he would scream, and I would parrot back, and he would laugh and go again.

It's hard to explain how that could possibly have been fun and connecting. And it was.