Windows are wonderful, aren’t they? They keep us warm (or cool, depending on the season), and allow us at the same time to gaze upon the scenery outside. Through them we can watch our kids play… But windows are not that great when we want to say something through them, like, “Stop squirming already and come in for a pee!” Unless we know sign language!
I remember once driving up to a stop sign and seeing, half way up the street, my eldest son walking in the freezing cold.
“Where are you going?” I asked.
“The mall,” he replied.
“Want a ride?”
“Sure, thanks.”
All from outside of yelling distance, and I didn’t have to roll the window down. Same thing when the kids had a play date in one of those huge indoor playgrounds. It didn’t matter that they were climbing through a kid-sized tube high above the floor and I was waiting for them to come down.
As soon as they looked at me, I signed, “Come down in 10 minutes for lunch.”
“What are we having?”
“Pizza.”
“I’ll be right there.”
Amazing, eh?
Problem was, it became a habit for me. One time that was particularly embarrassing, was when the father of one of my kids’ friends brought my son home. The dad didn’t get out of the car, he just let my son out and waved. Being the polite person I am, I signed “thank you.” He never spoke to me again. To this day I believe he thought I was blowing him a kiss.
Conclusion: sign language is a fantastic way to communicate, as long as everyone knows what you’re doing.
