“Papa Ted, Play!” My youngest grandson is learning the power of words. His vocabulary isn’t the largest. He often speaks in incomplete sentences. He hasn’t yet discovered the full potential of rhyme or rhythm, though he has memorized some key lines from storybooks that imply rhyme. If I quote a line from his current favorite book and say, “Did Peate cry?” He’ll respond, “Goodness, no! Buttons come and buttons go!” In his typical speech, he doesn’t use the word goodness, but he loves the rhythm and poetry of the book. When he said, “Papa Ted, Play!” he was starting up the stairs in our home and wanted me to go with him up to a playroom were we have a variety of toys. His family had come to our house for dinner. The occasion was a visit from my sister and an opportunity for her to spend time with our grandchildren. His older sisters and brother were at the table with my wife and sister playing a card game, and he wasn’t interested in that game. He wanted his dad and me to come upstairs with him to play with the toys.

Upstairs, we were served juice and milk from a toy pitcher in tiny cups. The game was entirely imaginative, as the toy dishes were stored in a bin next to a small table and chairs. No actual liquids were required. He told me I had the rabbit’s cup, indicating a stuffed toy seated at the table. His father got the bear’s cup.

A short while later, we were back downstairs when he took my hand, led me to the refrigerator, and said, “Ice cream.” He knows the routine at our house. When they come to dinner, we clean up the dishes after the meal and take time to talk or play before having dessert. Ice cream is a treat common at our house and rare at his home. Last night, it was clear that he had been set up to request by his sister, who had coached him just before his making the request of me.

He could still use an editor. He occasionally chooses the wrong word. He often leaves out some of the words commonly used in a sentence. But he is learning the power of communication. His manner of speaking entertains me greatly, and I often reflect on what he has said hours after a visit.

He was born into a family with a lot of love for language. His father grew up in our house before smartphones, when we kept an unabridged dictionary within reach of our dining room table for reverence during dinner discussions. He knows where the shelves of children’s books are in our home and where the books he likes are kept at his own home. He often brings me a book and asks me to read. His father is a librarian, and he knows his way around at least two libraries. He is a regular at the storytelling time at our local library each week. His older siblings enjoy reading and writing. Recently, his brother, whose birthday is the same day as his, sent us a thank you note for a birthday gift that included the following: “What is your favorite book to read? I want to read it because I want to find new books!”

I have suggested a few books to the letter writer, including a favorite adult novel. I also showed him the stack of eighteen books next to my desk that I need to review in preparation for a resource meeting next week and the additional seven on my desk that I’ve gathered to review as I struggle with a chapter in a book I am writing. I also showed him the shelf of beloved poetry books next to my recliner and noted that I had not yet finished a couple of new poetry books there. I read poetry slowly and often out loud, which means I don’t often read poetry when he is visiting our home, though occasionally, I find a poem that is too good to keep to myself and read to the family over dinner. He knows how much I enjoy books and how hard it would be to pick a favorite. He probably doesn’t know that I have a few favorites that I’m keeping until he is a bit older. He is fourteen, loves science fiction, and has read most of the volumes of that genre that I own. But he will have to express interest in building boats or keeping bees before I recommend my favorite titles on those subjects..

I’m delighted with the teenager’s search for favorite books and his preschool brother’s expanding vocabulary. I love the stories their sisters write. One of our granddaughters has created pages of drawings with text in an anime style. She enjoys graphic novels and reflects the style of some of her favorites in her drawings and writing.

I often wonder about the futures of our grandchildren. We live in a complex world that is frequently frightening to me. There are so many possibilities for them to get hurt. The educational system in our country is broken, and many fall through the cracks. It is possible to accrue more debt than practical education from time in college. Many vocations no longer produce sufficient salary to pay for rent and groceries. Learning about intimacy and finding lasting relationships is a challenge for every generation, made even more complex by the dangers of online dating, predators who lurk in online spaces, and unrealistic expectations promoted by online marketers. They will face many challenges in coming years and will have to make their own decisions, face their own risks, and figure out out their own solutions to problems.

I find hope in their use of language. Reading and writing are skills that have become lifelong companions for me, and I hope that my grandchildren will continue to learn to speak and write and find ways to make language work for them. I look forward to discovering more books that are shared favorites.