How Do You Talk to Young Children?: ESL Edition

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Read Original Version Here: C1-C2

CEFR Level A2-B1

One day, I went into the new ice cream shop to get a milkshake. There was a family there with a little girl and a young boy. The man scooping ice cream was grinning and making silent eye contact with the children’s mom. 

I saw him hide his hands behind the counter and put a birthday cake candle into the ice cream. Then he lit the candle and joyfully presented the cone to the little girl. She blew out the candle and happily started eating her strawberry ice cream. 

Her mom told me that it was the girl’s birthday, so I asked the girl how old she was. She held up four fingers.

“Four! That’s an exciting age!” I exclaimed with more energy that was necessary. 

Her brother walked up and announced, “I’m five.”

“Five!” I said enthusiastically, “That’s also a very exciting age because next year you’ll be six and last year you were four!”

The children wandered around the shop while I wondered what had happened to me. Why couldn’t I talk to them like a normal person? I sounded like I had turned into an excited puppy. What I said to the children didn’t even make sense. Why is it exciting to be four or five? Did the boy know how to count well enough to understand what I said?

When I got home, I texted a friend who has young children. I asked her if it is normal for adults to act unnaturally excited when talking to young children. She said that it is normal. She assured me that preschooler-aged children like it when adults act overly enthusiastic when talking with them. 

So now I know. I’m normal if I act strangely when talking to young children.