Autobiographical Essay Five

When I was a toddler, my mother said she was often times worried about my speech development, because I was still not talking at an age where I should’ve begun putting simple words together. My family still tells stories today, of how I would merely point and grunt, as a way of communicating what I wanted. My mom said she tried to “help” my speech development by clearly telling me to say what I wanted. However, I proved difficult as I would not budge, and only continue to point and grunt, until the crying started. After many phone calls to the Dr., my mother was reassured that this was in fact normal, and that I was in a phase that would soon pass. Sure enough, this was so, and I finally began speaking, and putting simple words together and eventually forming complete sentences. However, there soon arose another problem by the time I hit the age of 2 ½; I began to develop a stutter and this continued on for months. At this point in my life, I can gather the facts through my own memory, instead of just what I was told by my mother and family.
I have vague memories of attempting to speak, and having my aunt Linda telling me to stop, to think about what I wanted to say. At that point, I knew there was something wrong with the way I spoke. After about the age of 4 ½, my stutter was noticeably fading and I remember hearing my mothers praises for my progression. This was one of the first times in my young life, where I felt assured of my self and abilities to communicate with other human beings. Soon after, my aunt would make comments as to how much I was “growing up” and “talking like a grown-up” which made me feel triumphant in my small world. These memories of feeling accomplished however, are not as vivid in my mind, as were the times when family members (such as my aunt) would tell me to slow down, and remember to think about what I am “trying” to say. These memories of failure are what have stuck with my to this day, as opposed to those short-lived moments of finally feeling accepted into the world of language; at least within my family.