Pharaby used to love talking about the weather. A few years ago, it was a regular topic of conversation—she’d update me throughout the day, letting me know if it was sunny, windy, raining, cloudy or storming. But just like little kids go through phases of being obsessed with dinosaurs or space before moving on to something else, her interests shifted. We haven’t talked about the weather in a long time, so I decided to bring it up this morning just to see what she’d say. I pointed out the time of day to help get the ball rolling. She answered correctly when I asked her the temp but she said "sunny" when I asked what time of day it was, lol. Easy mistake for a 5 year old.
What’s interesting about this to me is that it’s not just random words—it’s part of how she observes the world. Pharaby loves to share facts and ask for information. She often tells me about animals she’s seen or heard outside, pointing them out even when I didn’t notice. She’s already paying attention to everything happening around her; I’m just giving her words to express it.
Sometimes people push back on this idea, saying that using buttons makes her too aware or that I’m somehow forcing her into a level of consciousness she wouldn’t have otherwise. But the truth is, she already is aware. She lives in the world just like we do—she hears the birds, feels the wind, and notices the changing seasons. I’m not teaching her something she’s oblivious to; I’m just giving her a way to talk about what she’s already experiencing if she wants to.
