By GRACE JENNINGS-EDQUIST
For those of you who have just jumped aboard the Mamamia bandwagon – we have an ‘Open Post’ every Wednesday. Here, you can tell us what’s made you happy this week or moan and complain to your heart’s content. Just imagine you’re grabbing a glass of wine with your girlfriends (but seriously, stick to your cappuccino for now. It’s nowhere near 5pm and you’re at WORK, woman) and spill.
So what’s on your mind? I’ll go first. My favourite this from the week is THIS. If you’re a female human with two eyes, I can only assume it’s your favourite too:
My least favourite thing this week: we’re about to enter May. And if Wednesday if Hump Day, May is Hump Month (all you purists out there will tell me it should be June but since half of us are taking annual leave then, it doesn’t count.)
The thing with Hump Month is that it’s all a bit dreary.
We have to buy expensive thick leggings for the first time in 12 months, then learn ALL OVER AGAIN that they always rip on the first wear. Bosses are freaking out about the end of financial year.
We bid goodbye to whimsical barbeques and bike rides in the park- in fact, exercise transforms from breezy and incidental (wahoo! It’s Summer and I’m catching some casual waves!) to enormous chores made enjoyable only by their accompanying smugness (I’m jogging AND it’s raining on me? I am just too much).
Over to you. What are your highs and lows of the week?
Also. We have a favour to ask you all, dear readers. And we’ll ask very nicely. We’re looking at launching a new e-book here at Mamamia and we want to gauge your interest in learning more about how to work effectively from home. Would you do it? Do you already do it?
This survey is super short AND if you give us your email address, you’ll also go in the draw to win a quick and dirty $200. Thanks in advance.
Working from home.
Grace Jennings-Edquist is a Melbourne-based emerging journalist and former lawyer whose everyday interests range from women’s rights to viewing an unreasonable amount of sloth pictures. You can follow her on twitter @gracie_je and find some of her other work here.
Top Comments
Worst: Had period pain from hell. Had to stay home from work and spent the day in foetal position.
Best: A boy who loves me and takes care of me :)
Anyone have experience with speech therapy for a 3yo? Something feels off with and although doctors keep making a lot of allowances for my son because he was 2 months premature and then had a myriad of problems after he was born (thankfully all is well now), I know in my gut something's not right. Problem is I don't have a lot of experience with similar aged children so every time I've wondered if he's delayed in where he should be with his speech, it's been easy to just accept being placated about it. He's come so far with his talking but when I look at milestones and where he should be according to charts, I feel he's nowhere close. I'm in Melbourne so any recommendations of a great place to go would be wonderful but even if someone has just been through the same thing before I'd appreciate a bit of a heads up as to what to expect. Thank you lovely MM'ers xo
Speech Therapy is not usually par for the course in children prior to school or kindergarten age, unless there is an obvious problem, Beans. Speech develops differently in every kid and three year olds will more often than not have some speech idiosyncrasies where they haven't developed the ability to either hear or produce certain sounds. Lots of three year olds will drop the beginning or end sound from words etc. If you are really concerned, I would recommend getting your son's hearing checked first to rule that out as a problem. Also, you can actually do certain things with him to encourage improvement. It is really important when you are having conversations with him to be careful about using correct pronunciation and make sure he is looking at you so he can see how your mouth is moving. If you notice a problem with a certain sound, show him how to make the right shape with his mouth, eg, tongue to teeth to make the the TH sound. Be exaggerated and poke your tongue out when you do it so he can see, You can get cards that show the shapes for each sound too, which are good if there are ongoing problems.
I would try not to worry though. Like I said, they generally don't worry too much until they are about 4 or 5 because most kids will catch up by then. And if he is making progress and improving, then he probably will catch up. If you are still concerned when he turns 4 then look at speech therapy then.
How is the rest of his development? Is it only his speech that worries you?
By the way I'm not a speechie myself, but I am an early childhood teacher :)
Hi beansbeansthemagicalfruit,
My housemates are both finishing speech pathology at uni and they say how important it is in their formative years between 2-3 to get speech issues checked out. Perhaps just book in one speech pathology session, and that way regardless it will give you peace of mind? Good luck!
Have been there. For a year expressed concern to my 2 year old daughter's paediatrician about her speech only to be told she was fine, not to worry etc. When she was 3, I finally insisted on a referral to a speech therapist who diagnosed my daughter with dyspraxia. If you feel his speech might be delayed see a speech therapist if only to allay your own fears. Early intervention, if needed, helps. Be prepared to do lots of work at home too though- a good speech therapist will give you exercises to do in between sessions.
Not sure where you live, but my friend took her 3 year old daughter to Macquarie university to be assessed and she was correct, her kid was behind.