World Literacy Day

My younger son started preschool today and I found it difficult to leave him. I recall being hesitant to send my older son but knew that it was the right thing to do... so it made me wonder at my reluctance. And, while meeting with the speech therapist, it struck me... B cannot talk and he does very little in the way of communication. He cries... or smiles. How would he tell them what he wants?
I have few difficulties at home because I know him like no other person possibly could. I know his routines, what he likes to eat, when he's starting to get tired, how he likes to be held. I know his favorite toys and how to burp him properly. It's impossible for me to convey all of this to one caregiver. And so I had to trust the system.
The speech therapist has referred us to the Hanen Centre and we are waiting for an appropriate program to start (hopefully without too much of a wait). Having inherited the "Now" gene from my mother, I went home and looked up the website. The Hanen Centre has several different programs for encouraging communication and literacy. My older son was always an excellent communicator: early talker, started reading books on his own at 4.5 and is now learning french. I have always taken for granted that talking was innate and would come without specific encouragement.
I hope that, in time, I will learn the right things to do to help my son reach his full potential, whatever that may be.
It is a reminder to me, though, that literacy is a gift and a privelege that is not to be wasted.
For more information: www.hanen.org.
They also have a preschool language and literacy calendar available, with tips on encouraging speech and communication.