We were so worried

Sam talked later than most of his friends. There was a period of time when Steve and I even worried that he was somehow developmentally delayed because he didn't seem to have the vocabulary someone his age was "supposed" to have. I am here to tell you that those days are long gone. We have now entered the stage where he NEVER STOPS talking.

I knew I was in trouble last night when Steve walked in the door, set Sam down, looked at me, and said, "He's all yours...I think my ears are going to fall off." After a short giggle, I realized that nobody has shared any lessons with me on how to make a toddler be quiet. All the books and instruction I received when he was a wee baby were geared toward how to increase his verbal skills and teach him to effectively communicate. Well...now...where are all those people now?

I'm beginning this is all some sort of hazing experience that prior generations institute in order to torture us. I can see my parents now, sitting there laughing, "Yeah, they wanted him to talk...we'll show them."

Why is there nothing written about how to communicate the value of quiet time to a child? Why didn't anyone share with ME the concept that you need to teach silence as well as verbalization? I feel like I've got some catching up to do.