Not like that ...

Oli asked me today if I knew how old he was and before I could answer said, 'I'm three and a half.'

I replied, 'Wow Oli, three and a half is great.'

To which he said, 'Not like that, three and a half.'

I asked, 'Say it again Oli,' listening close ... and heard 'Free and a half.'

So I said, 'Oh sorry Oli, so your Free and a half.'

To which her replied, 'No ... I'm Free ana half.' ... slight exasperation in his voice now.

'O.K. Oli, I've got it now, Free ana half.'

'Oh ... not that, I said, Free ana huff.'

So I tried again, 'Is it Free ana huff Oli?'

'Not that,' says Oli back and this time I look him sqaure in the face, look and listen and ask if he'd say it for me one more time ... and then think I've got it ...

'I've got it Oli, you are Flea in a huff.'

'Yeah that's it!' he replied, with a sigh of relief and a smile.

I almost laughed outloud as he was getting a little bit like a 'fea in a huff' with me while I couldn't pronounce his age the right way.

What I found fascinating in this exchange was that Oli needed to hear it from me exactly as he says it himself.   This is to my experience really unusual.  Young children, mostly hear it as we say it even if they can't say it precisely for themselves yet.  This means, most would hear 'three and a half' said to them, say it as best they can which might be 'free and a half' or 'flea in a huff' ... and in conversation, would correct you if you say anything less than 'three and a half'.   They don't hear themselves saying it differently or not quitely.  Yet here was Oli totaly dissatisfied until I heard every nuance of how he said it and said it back to him the same way he says it.  Fascinating indeed.