It is rude, some say, to point. But there’s no explaining etiquette to a toddler.
Among my daughter’s first real words was “dat,” always accompanied by an insistent pointing finger. Sometimes she meant “What is that?” and sometimes, “Look at that!” After months of wondering what Pippa could be thinking about, we finally learned what was catching her attention. She pointed to artwork on the wall, to strangers on the bus, to toys in the nursery—gestures that expressed her curiosity and invited our conversational response.
I did my share of pointing, too. On our walks to and from the bus stop, with Pippa in the front carrier on my chest, I would point out interesting things to see: here is a daffodil in bloom; there is a robin; look, a man walking his dog. After I’d point, she’d lift her finger to point to each object in turn.
