Many years ago a teen girl brought her 6-month-old baby to see me because he cried a lot and Mom was worried. We talked about the baby’s symptoms, his care and diet, and I began to examine him. As I felt his belly I asked, “Does your tummy hurt?” Mom laughed. “Babies can’t talk!” she exclaimed. “You’re right” I assured her. “They can’t, but they can hear, and they learn to talk from hearing people talk to them.” I assured Mom that baby was not sick and we talked about ways to comfort him. Then we had a long talk about the importance of talking and reading to babies. Hopefully, after our discussion, she left with new ideas about talking and reading to her baby. Children begin to learn early, even before they are born and 90 percent of their brain growth occurs by age 3. Their personalities, learning style, and …