I am often surprised at how fast young children can learn a language. I was helping a five year old learn English and the mother offered me some corn. I asked for some butter (huang you). I think I said the Chinese word once. So the search went on through the fridge. We talked about the butter and maybe I didn’t need them to open the big container.

Then the two year old walked over with a little package of butter that her father had brought home from the airport. He had been served a little container of butter with his bread, which he saved and showed his two year old. I was just amazed that this little child knew that the big box of butter had the same stuff as the little container. Kids need to learn language early . . . the earlier the better. It doesn’t matter which language. They are just little sponges.