My sons are rarely (if ever) exposed to words that would warrant a rating stronger than "G" in movies. On occasion, I will use a German word that in some translations might warrant a PG-13 rating. Though, in my defense, I have been told that this particular word has a less strong meaning when used in its native country. This does not mean that they don't try to push the envelope a bit in their language. One word in particular is known to be taboo during dinner conversation. They, therefore, morphed it to another word. However, we, being slightly smarter than average parents, saw through this and took immediate action. For Eric, it was strictly enforcing the same rule that applied to the word's origin and for me it was hiding my face while I laughed. As a compromise, they may use this phrase when playing or eating in the kitchen.
Every once in a while, I think about how innocent my children are and am grateful that we have been able to foster an environment where they can be kids. Not everyone is that lucky as we see daily on the news. For Dom and Will, saying "poop" is the ultimate in bad language. We've checked out a couple of books where the word is used for exhaustion, and these books become their favorites. When I read a book for the first time and this word comes up, the boys start laughing and ask me to repeat the page again and again. In fact, Dom still quotes a line from a book about a super hero who loses his power because he is: "Pooped! (I love saying 'Pooped!')." A few weeks ago I checked out a book about the human body. The boys were enthralled with the illustrated section about the small and large intestines.
Because we wouldn't let them use this word to describe someone's head, the phrase morphed into "Poppy Head", something they then proceeded to teach their cousins. I do not understand the allure of the word. Why does the sound of it send them into fits of giggles? Perhaps it is a boy thing? Yet, I count my blessings that for now this is the worse we have to deal with in their language.
Though, let me give one more anecdote about Dominic. We read a book about a caterpillar turning into a butterfly. Then I found a youtube video that showed the metamorphosis. (Incredible, I might add). The boys were very interested in the whole process. Or maybe they were just thrilled with the fact they got to watch a movie. Either way, we watched the video three times in a row. A few days later, I overheard Dom drop some things he was carrying and exclaim: "Ah Chrysalis!". I think I might start using that one...
2 comments:
great....another saying your kids will teach mine... =)
"I'm pooped!" was Grandpa Mac's way of saying he was tired!
And, I recall a couple of little girls going into gales of laughter when they found out that the German word for doll is "die Puppe" and the plural is "die Puppen"
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