A St. Augustine mother hopes a viral moment between her baby and her deaf parents will inspire other parents to enroll their children in sign language classes, according to News4JAX The Local Station
Mara McCullough is baby Jane’s mom. Both of McCullough’s parents are deaf.
She said Jane loves watching her grandparents communicate.
McCullough posted videos of Jane and her grandparents on TikTok, which have gained millions of views.
The viral clip featured the baby babbling and attempting to communicate in sign language with her grandparents.
“She’s starting to show us that she’s trying to communicate and use the language, so it’s been really cool,” McCullough said.
McCullough expressed surprise at the videos gaining so much attention.
Jane hasn’t fully mastered signing yet, but when her mother signs “water” or “outside,” it visibly delights Jane.
“She’s still just babbling in sign language so there’s no correct signs yet, that’ll probably come in a few months,” McCullough said. “She’s showing us that she’s starting to understand it.”
McCullough noted that when Jane’s granddad began communicating with her, it helped calm the almost 6-month-old down.
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“When she’s in a cranky mood, he’ll take her outside and walk around and she calms down immediately,” McCullough said.
Karen Lewis-Hannah, a sign language tutor, expressed heartfelt joy seeing children learn sign language.
Lewis-Hannah operates a mobile sign language camp and emphasized the benefits of teaching sign language to all children, regardless of hearing ability.
“There’s no wasting time when you’re teaching children. They’re like sponges so you want to get right in there,” Lewis-Hannah said.
McCullough shared her hope that the video will convey an important message to others.
“I think it’s opening people’s eyes to the beauty of sign language and how babies are so smart and able to communicate with you at such an early age,” McCullough said.
She also aimed to raise awareness through the videos about the deaf and hard of hearing community.