Every year around the Christmas season, parents stand in line for hours at malls across the country to have their child’s photograph taken with Santa Claus.
You never quite know how each child will react to being hoisted up on a strange, bearded man’s lap. Some kids laugh, others cry, but one toddler expressed his feelings in a special way — sign language.
Kerry Spencer said she had taught her son Samuel, one year old at the time, the sign for “help.” He hilariously demonstrated his signing knowledge during his photo with Santa in 2005. The family lived in Provo, Utah back then, according to People magazine.
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“We taught our baby sign language,” the mother tweeted. “This is the sign for ‘help.’ You’re welcome.”
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The priceless photo has since gone viral.
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Spencer posted the photo on Dec. 5, and just one week later it had already been retweeted more than 7,500 times, with over 28,000 likes.
“We all laugh at the picture now. It is a family legend,” Spencer told People magazine.
The child — now 13 years old — has even embraced the social media fame, changing his Twitter name to “That one baby that doesn’t like Santa.”
https://twitter.com/DextrousWolf/status/938376521697423360 ?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fd-36665249731964782635.ampproject.net%2F1512677960104%2Fframe.html
Spencer explained she taught her son sign language, not because he was hearing impaired, but to improve communication while the boy was learning to speak.
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“We taught both our kids baby sign because they can sign before they talk,” Spencer shared with Mashable, “and it is so very useful to be able to communicate with your baby.”
Some folks on social media tried to ruin the fun by complaining that the boy’s gesture wasn’t exactly accurate, but his mother quickly put them in their place.
“It’s ASL baby sign; like with spoken language, certain words are ‘mispronounced’ by babies learning them,” she tweeted.
Couldn’t have said it better myself.
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https://twitter.com/Swilua/status/939219332147576833 ?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fd-36665249731964782635.ampproject.net%2F1512677960104%2Fframe.html
“I recognized this sign immediately as the one he used to sign for help,” Spencer told People, noting that if there was any doubt to his nervousness, “his face says the rest!”
It certainly does.
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What do you think about this baby using sign language to express his suspicion of Santa Claus? Scroll down to comment below!
