\'Enforcement\' of Learning Chinese

On the way to lunch one day about two weeks ago, I suddenly felt extremely homesick and had this huge desire wanting to go back and visit my family and friends in China. Thanks for Daddy's understanding and support, I bought the tickets for me and Evan the very next day.

Knowing he is a mommy's boy, I teased Evan: "Do you want to go to China to visit 外公& 外婆 (grandfather and grandmother) with me or stay here with Daddy and Olivia?"

Without hesitation, he answered: "I am going with you!"

"I will only take you if you eat Chinese food." I decided to give him a hard time. I recalled my many trips to McDonald and Pizza Hut when we were back the last couple of times. "Are you going to eat Chinese food?"

"Yes!" he nodded his head very hard.

"Are you going to speak Chinese?"

"Yes!" again he nodded his head very hard which just made me laugh.

"You are? Do you even know how to speak Chinese?" I was playing mean.

He rolled his eyes for a second and said: "耳朵 (ear)" which really surprised me as I have never taught him this word. He must have picked it up when I went over the Chinese class with Olivia a couple of weeks ago.

"Good! What else can you say?" I became very interested.

"三 (three)!" he popped another one. I did teach him to count from one to ten a couple of days ago and he could repeat after me perfectly although he didn't know what they really mean.

"What else?" I became greedy.

"二!(two)" Good!

"And…?"

He became silent. I know he also knows some other words but I guess those are currently not registered in his head as Chinese. He would need some prompting.

Since then I have been playing with him, like not giving him what he wants unless he says some Chinese words to me. Now he has come to expect it.

To give an example, after coming back from daycare, Evan would say:" I am hungry, can I have some crackers please?"

I would grab a couple of crackers in my hand and put my hand up in the air and give him that look: "What do you need to do to get the crackers, honey?"

Evan would reach his hand out, look up at the crackers first and then into my eyes, and sound me out:" 耳朵?"

Seeing my hand not going down, he would add: "三!".

Seeing my hand still up in the air, he would start to get anxious and desperately throw in "二!" full of hope.

All right, that was enough:). But still I would not give him the crackers until he repeated after me: "我要四块饼干 (I want four crackers)" two or three times and a "谢谢 (thank you)" after I gave them to him. This mommy is pretty mean, huh? :).

I also have to use the threat of not taking him to China as bargaining material recently to keep him out of trouble and it works like wonder.

For example, we ate at Bob Evan's last night. He sat on the floor under our table refusing to come out after he finished his food. Embarrassed, I made a couple of  threats but none of them worked until I told him that I wouldn't take him to China with me unless he get out of there and sit straight on his chair like what he was supposed to.