On silence

Phil Graham (pw.graham who-is-at student.qut.edu.au)
Wed, 17 Nov 1999 14:32:56 +1100

For some reason ...

Anyway, this friend of ours is worried about her 3 y.o. boy who doesn't say
too much. His big sister talks up a storm, has done since she was 12 months
old.

I said "don't worry, my sister was like that. She just didn't feel the need
to say too much for a long time" ...

See, this kid, the 3 y.o., has the life of Reilly. All the older kids at
the school spend heaps of time with him, and he only needs to point and
they go - that sort of thing.

His mum didn't understand what I meant. I had to tell her the following joke:

Two parents are worried about a child who doesn't talk at all.

For years, they take her to a series of doctors of one sort or another:

MDs; psychologists; psychiatrists; ENT specialists ... everything appears
normal. This continues year after year. She still doesn't speak.

At any rate, shortly after her 8th birthday, the family is having dinner.
The girl suddenly picks up the mashed potatoes, shouts "These potatos taste
like SH%T!", and throws them at the wall.

The parents are shocked: "You spoke! how wonderful!!! .....

" .... But how come you never spoke before?"

"The potatos have been fine up til now"

-------------------------------------
Phil