by Lorie Fuller
My 5-yr-old just asked, "Can you get the stinky cheese off the stove right now so I don't...like...die!" Oh my! I was around when the word "like" first became a fixture in the lexicon of teenage girls everywhere, but never did I expect to hear my young daughter use it, or for that matter, use the intonation it takes to really drive that word home. She's got it down. And, I'm pretty sure she's never seen "Valley Girl."
Of course, I now wonder if I'm using the word "like" when speaking - perhaps she picked it up from me? My mother and I had a recent discussion about the oft-used and basically meaningless word "amazing." That word seems to sneak into my dialog when I'm feeling a bit lazy and don't want to come up with a real word to describe how I feel. Hope the kids don't pick up on that one.
My kids come up with some of the funniest words and phrases, some of which seem to stick in our household and never quite get corrected. Words like "refrigidator," "buhsquito," "chilly cold," "poppyco," "stanky," "snotchos," and the like. My 3-yr-old, upon observing that I was about to nibble on her toes the other day, said, "No Mommy! Those are poisonous piggies!" This week my oldest threatened me with "the touch" if I "ruined her fun." There's the ever-present "but, all my blood is going to come out!" whenever anyone gets a boo-boo here - have no idea where that came from, but it's too funny to pass up!
The introduction of Scooby Doo in our household has brought up many a conversation about mummies, cat zombies, pirates, ghost-es, and monsters. Already gone are the days when all I had to explain were glass slippers, ball gowns, tiaras, and why a girl should never marry a prince until she's self-sufficient with her income.
The inevitable body parts (fluids, matter, etc.) have come up a number of times. My oldest is able to work the word "poop" into any sentence, much to the consternation of the diners in the next booth. I had a breast-feeding mom over awhile ago, and now the term "booby-juice" gets tossed around. I made the mistake of using the term "private parts" once, and now it gets used far too frequently, along with gales of laughter and squealing.
Oh yes, and we can't bring up this subject without discussing cuss words, now can we? Yes, they've picked up "assssshhhooolllle" though my husband and I argue exactly from which movie that word came and I personally think it isn't a swear word unless they say it with proper diction and can recite the definition. The word "dammit" occasionally rears its ugly head from my oldest, and she uses it properly, to add emphasis to a sentence - followed by giggles.
We did a terrible thing with our children, too often using phrases that start with the word "if" - i.e. "If you don't pick up ten things off your floor, you won't get a story tonight." This has come back to haunt us, as the children are now able to compose similar threats to use against us, such as "If you don't give me ice cream, all my blood is gonna come out!" In this case, it's the parents who burst into peals of laughter, and the children don't like that one bit.
I can tolerate a little drama from my 5-yr-old, like, if I have to. As long as she doesn't use the word "poop" in a restaurant from now on, I'll be OK. Heck, my parents lived through it, and so can we!
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