Thursday, June 09, 2005

My son, on language

It's been disgustingly hot and humid this week in our part of the world. We've had smog alerts every day, and like clockwork, thunderstorms have popped up every afternoon and have made the drive home somewhat entertaining throughout the region.

Against this backdrop, Noah's pre-school class went to visit a dairy farm yesterday. While getting ready in the morning, he babbled endlessly about the animals he would see - cows are his favorite - and what they would look like. As we loaded his knapsack, he reminded me that I had forgotten a critical item:
"I need to put on some sunscream," he said with an ear-to-ear smile.
"Some what?" I asked.
"Sunscream," he repeated, making it quite clear that this was the word and that was that.
I decided not to correct him. He has a whole lifetime to learn the right words to everything. And after he nails every word correctly, people around him won't smile and feel good to the bottom of their soul when he speaks. Sunscream is just fine for now.

29 comments:

Dean said...

I remember one of my kids saying 'soupcase' for a while. I presume that when you went away, you took a case with cans of soup for the journey.

My daughter couldn't remember that there's a stain remover called Shout!, so we still call it Scream.

The sxKitten and I sometimes get puzzled looks from people when one of us tells the other to 'put scream on it, it will come out.'

Jennie said...

I wholeheartedly agree Carmi, I think the same thing when my ds3 asks me to open the lindow in the car.
Jager's jingle bells above reminded me of my ds13's Christmas video at 24months. All the room lights out, we had the Christmas lights on the floor in a glowing tangle and he was walking gently around them taking in the colors with wonder. Then he looked up to the camera smiling and said slowly,nodding, "Pispis wights".

Mellie Helen said...

With that big ear-to-ear grin, perhaps he knew he was using the wrong word, but was in fact doing some word play, and just having a little fun with it! The way my son screams and squirms when I put sun lotion on him makes me think that Noah's got the word right.

Chris said...

Our youngest is gradually shedding his mispronounciations, of his own volition, and I miss them. I miss the pwockadiles and muckies at the zoo, the barkly bodettes in my daughter's hair, the neeks in the garden that scared Grandma ...

The Narcissist said...

That's so cute. I'm all about correcting Audrey to make sure that she says something correct as far as politeness goes, but if she says something irresistably cute that will fix itself eventually, I figure why not enjoy her preschoolhood while it lasts.

Anonymous said...

i love it when my kids make up those special words, you just want to smile and enjoy

Christine said...

Oh I love that! My daughter had (and still has) little mispronunciations like that that we never correct. It isn't long before they start getting them right - it's sad really when they do.

Anonymous said...

That is so sweet. He has a lifetime to learn to draw within the lines. So nice to let him scribble for now isn't it? And Michele sent me to say hi so Hi.

Tracy S said...

I love that ...Kids are the best ..Our daughter says renember and popliar ...lol it is too cute to correct her ..when she was real little about 4 I guess she would fart and laugh and say " I started " ..lol

Tammy said...

I love this! Sunscream....perfect!

Michele sent me...this time. :)

scrappintwinmom said...

Adorable little story. Here via Michele today.

Angie said...

Oh how true that is! Let him say sunscream all he wants. :) We called catsup (ketchup?) kep-kep for a long time because of our daughter. Pizza was peets-up.

kenju said...

That is so cute! I don't blame you for not correcting him. He will get enough of that in school.

Thanks for the nice comment on my summer memories.

Michele sent me.

LindseyO said...

My baby sister used to say "mazagine" instead of "magazine" and the three of us - my stepdad, my mom and I (15 years her senior) thought it was so adorable we couldnt' bear to correct her. And, further, started calling them mazagines ourselves.

Years later, she still claims mental anguish but we still think it's funny. :)

Anonymous said...

Verrrrrry cute. Apparently, when I was little, I couldn't say "w" so I said wubba wubba. Awwwwwww. And the story goes on and on. This story of "sunscream" will be eternal as well! :-)

Steph said...

I agree - no correction necessary. My little girl couldn't say the letter L for thelongest time, so whenever she had something wonderful happen, she would yell, "I'm so yucky!!"

Your boy will learn it on his own and what he won't remember is a dad who corrected him over the trivial!

mommy d said...

I need some sunscream here in VA too!

Christie E. Little said...

So cute! My girls had a little conversation today.

"Ava, I'm going ot play Bolly Ball in middle school."
"Kelsey if you're going to play then you need to know how to say it. You say Volly Voll."

LOL...they just love one upping the other. :) Thanks for visiting my site. I'll be back.
Christie

Kat said...

When my oldest daughter was learning to talk she called cookies "wookies". It was so cute, we all called them that for a year or so!

Anonymous said...

My heart broke all over again each time my son dropped one of his mispronounciations for the correct term. They grow up way too fast!

Mouthy Mom
www.mouthymom.com

Ella said...

These language moments are so precious.

Ramona said...

Love the "Sunscream", I think it should be marketed that way!
Thanks for visiting my site, yours is hilarious!

Anonymous said...

HI Carmi,

Thanks for visiting me and leaving such a nice comment.
I love the story about sunscream! so bloody cute!

I only learn't not too long ago..that after someone sneeze's it's "bless you"
I have been saying "blesshoo" for so long!!!!
Michele sent me..in a funny way I guess....

Nadia :)

MorahMommy said...

I love how Noah has a way of saying things. You just can't help but smile.
I hope he hangs on to these words as long as he can. It was always so sad when Zach and Dahlia started using the proper words for things! It means they are growing up!

MorahMommy said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Bonnie (BornInaZoo) said...

Oh man ... I'd love for a boy to tell me to do sunscream. Yesterday, my 3yo neighbor boy told me that should "shut up and quit working ... shut up and see how pretty everything is". I think I'll quit weeding the garden for a while. :)

Anonymous said...

thanx for sharing those precious moments with our grandchildren that somehow aren't covered during our usual conversation times.

Ms Mac said...

Something I love about children learning to speak is the way that it gives your family in-jokes. In our house we call the remote control the motmol as that's what ourmiddle son used to call it. But when we go to my mum's house it's called the motortroll because of my little brother.

My wee brother (now 26) is still called Boobah, a name we adopted from his little playmate when they were 2.

No other family has those things, it makes us all unique!

Cav said...

love it.