Dr. Michael Kilgard

And so from my point of view, the fact that –

The young brain is a sponge and that every little background sound, little clicking sound, road noise, all those things have a potential to impact the way the brain is wired is a cautionary tale.

It makes you worried about having the wrong sounds in the wrong place.

But of course you don't really know exactly what the best sounds are going to be, the best sights, the best friendships and all the rest.

So neuroplasticity is a gift to all of us, and it makes the point that the details matter, but it also makes the point that there's lots of details, lots and lots of experiences.

No one formative experience is going to ruin some kid's life, and I think that's a little bit relieving as well.

Absolutely.

No, I mean, I think we worry about doors slamming shut.

We worry about every little sight being the thing that's going to define a child for the rest of their lives.

And that's just not the case, right?

Lots and lots of hours.

We always talk about 10,000 hours to be good at anything.

And you realize you get a lot of 10,000 hours.

I mean, you really do.

Not just your language abilities.

Each person has 100,000 words.

Imagine, you don't have to sit and teach the kids every little word.

They're going to pick them up.

They're just in an environment.

to imagine knowing their definitions, knowing their meanings and all the rest.