Without words
We joke that we happen to have two teenagers at home, even though our first child Daniel is 12 and his brother is only 8. They are both going through bodily changes, they are both moody, and they both answer using less-than-one syllable. "Daniel, how do you like the book?" "Are you mad?" "How about some eggs for breakfast?" The answer to all my three questions is something that resembles a note from a wind instrument. Towards the end of his elementary school years, Daniel stopped giving me long answers even if I prodded. But this is new. Suddenly, I am getting just a sound back in reply, and the grunting and huffing have not only increased, but their vowel sounds are constantly drawn out. "Aaaaaargh!" Language development has always amazed me. I remember Daniel as he learned to speak. Back then, bilingualism came easily to him: "Moon. Luna." Although Spanish was his first language, he quickly learned to use the langu