Shapes

Someone told me once that human children learn by putting things into groups. Alike colors go into one pile, shapes into another and then we start to mix those according to their shape and color.
We learn to read the same way. A, B, C, D, E, F, G.....able, cat, foam, god.......we learn the alphabet and then reshape the letters to form words for the group of colors and shapes that we created to learn how our world works. We start learning to speak by practicing those interesting sounds that we discovered as we play in our cribs......looking at the shadows on the ceiling. mmmm, nnnnn, ooooo, aaaaa, maaaaaa, daaaaaa, DADA, MAMA are usually our first words...then our parents smile and get that misty look as they say...."see, she said dada!!!". The baby then says it again and out of nowhere, the misty eyed parent appears and reinforces that word. Soon each time she says dada or mama, they mysteriously appear to hold and love her. Such simple words....mama, dada.

Now, when I say those words...I no longer know what they mean. I will need to learn how to relearn my shapes and colors into a new meaning. Mama, Dada...mommy, daddy, mother, father. I wonder how long this will take.