Keke Palmer Says Son Leo, 3, Loves ‘Using Big Words’: ‘He Learned How to Say Tarantula — Come on Now!’ (Exclusive)
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Keke Palmer tells PEOPLE in an exclusive interview that her 3-year-old son loves “using big words”
“He’s talking, talking, talking, talking, talking,” the actress says
Palmer shares her son, Leodis “Leo” Andrellton Jackson, with ex Darius Jackson
Keke Palmer’s little guy is growing up.
The actress, 33, tells PEOPLE in an exclusive interview that her son, Leodis “Leo” Andrellton Jackson, is a big fan of enhancing his vocabulary lately.
“He is using big words. He learned how to say tarantula — come on now! That’s a big word, ‘tarantula,’ ” she says cheerfully. “He said destination.”
“He’s talking, talking, talking, talking, talking,” adds Palmer of her son, whom she shares with ex Darius Jackson. “He’s learning real things.”
Keke Palmer (top) with her son Leo (bottom).
Credit: Keke Palmer/Instagram
Palmer tells PEOPLE that Leo loves talking so much, he even copies some of the specific things that she says.
One example? “I take him to the arcade and we’ll be playing the Jurassic Park game, and he loves when I narrate it, but sometimes I go too far. We’re playing, and I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh, go under. You’re not going to get my son,’ and then he says, ‘You’re not going to get my son,’ ” the Baby, This Is Keke Palmer podcast host says with a laugh.
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As for another, Palmer adds, “I’m so territorial as a mom, so Leo hears me often say, ‘Not my son,’ so he’s attached the emotion of ‘son’ to someone that you love so much. So my niece, his cousin, when my sister yells at her, he’ll go over to my sister and say, ‘Don’t talk to my son like that.’ “
“It’s the cutest thing ever,” the mom of one continues. “And he’s like, ‘That’s my son.’ It’s like he’s acting like me about him, but it’s like his ‘son.’ “
Keke Palmer (right) with her son Leo (left).
Credit: Keke Palmer/Instagram
According to Palmer — who has partnered with Sanofi to promote Beyfortus ahead of RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) season — Leo is currently learning more and more about the things that interest him most.
“He loves the aquarium,” she says. “He was counting the octopus’ legs — he knows that they’re tentacles, but we call them legs because it helps him get the entry point.”
“We go on bike rides because he’s old enough to fit in the back seat, and also, he’s big enough for me to feel comfortable with him being there,” Palmer continues.
Adds the Emmy Award-winning actress, “We get to do all these new activities. He’s just having all those big milestones.”
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