No, this is not about weddings. It's about the way we talk round here.
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Cherub is all about Do I? and Are you? and Is it? Which sounds alright, until you tag it on the end of things as he does. He's not really asking, if you know what I mean. He doesn't say it with a rising inflection. It's more like a little confirmation at the end of his statements.
I like Maisie, do I.This last gets asked, anxiously, at least 20 times a week. I go out and teach on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. I've done this for as long as they can remember and they're good, they don't fuss or cling. And of course Fixit takes perfectly good care of them. Yet Cherub has learned the days of the week based on which nights I'm at home to put him to bed. It's a little bit touching and a big bit guilt-making. What day is it today? he'll ask, and if it's a stay-at-home night he says Yay. If it's a tap night he is sad, and he tells me: Me and Climber hate it when you go, do we. Do we, Climber? And Climber says Yes.
This is MY toothbrush, is it.
You're staying tonight, are you.
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Climber remarked to me yesterday that Next-door-boy has trouble pronouncing his "j" sound. I asked for a demonstration. Apparently it sounds like zholly not jolly. Climber tells me this as a matter of observation, he is not judgemental. And he says to me reassuringly But that's alright. He's from Albury*.
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My name is slightly difficult for a child to say. I made a list of all the different ways I've heard it said over the years. (I had to edit this to include 2 more*, which both Astrid and Nell reminded me about)- Cawoline or Tawoline Most 4 and 5 year olds
- Calorine My cousin Anna, years ago
- Talorine Next-door-girl, last week
- Tannine Climber, aged about 2*
- Harline Cherub, aged about 2, going through an Hispanic stage*
- Taline Cherub, aged about 3
- Caline Climber & Cherub, aged 3
- Laline Me, aged little. Some of my aunts still like to call me this.
* Albury is a large country town on the Victorian and New South Welsh border. They don't really have an accent. Although when I was telling Crafty about Climber's comment she remarked that you could say Albury-ans have a bogan accent, and suggested that Cherub should be sent up there to sort them out. I should also mention that Next-door-boy is missing his 2 front teeth at this stage of his life and it's never easy to talk perfectly without them.
That Climber of yours is really a very very lovely boy. I know I don't need to tell you you should be proud, Cherub too, and he really is a Cherub.
ReplyDeleteLittlest Monkey was just here on my knee and was very excited to see the boys on the pompooter, and she can say Cherub very well, and Climber. She said Taylie for you. And for Fixit, she said "Daddy"
A generic term for a man (and some women) apparently, well I guess that she is right.
Most little ones call me chracey - the tr and chr sounds very similar.
ReplyDeleteWhen my son was at pre-school he told me that a little boy with a speech problem was difficult to understand because he only spoke english. 'You only know what he says if you know english', he told me with his serious and concerned face.
Well done on keeping up the three per week average. Nell must be pleased with you.
There is no woger, how about wodewick.
"L"'s are very hard.
ReplyDeleteI've always been Me-am or Myam/Nyam to my charges. My son knows not we have other names, although I have told him about them, so we're simply Mummy & Daddy around here.
One of MC's besties is a boy named Michael. MC calls him "Muck".
I noticed last week this 3yr old looked at my son with distaste and said to his mother ( he's a very good speaker ) "Mummy, why is MC calling me Muck ?!"
Mind you, he used to call ALL his friends {*grunt*}, so now he's identifying them, I don't mind that the pronounciation is a bit dodgy ;)
Our besties are Dawl ( Daniel ), Owwie ( Oliver ), Muck, Nowie ( Noah )and Tom and Josh.
We have no probs with the one-syllable names :)
I know I don't know Cherub from Adam but this post about his speech habits I am finding unbearably sweet, am I.
ReplyDeleteI love the photos too, do I.
I'll stop now.
we stayed with some friends for two weeks and it wasn't till we were about to leave that Bella (3) got the hang of her name (Jacki, easy really). Up till then it was the more complicated "mother of this house"
ReplyDeleteJenny
LOL My mom's neighbor has a bilateral lisp and my Jared asked him why he talked different. His response was "I'm from California and you live in England - so I have a different accent". Jared thought on this and after the boy went home he said "I don't think it's really his accent." LOL Then we talked about lisps and other friends with speech issues and he was cool with it. Silly boy!
ReplyDeleteAwwww. It hurts when they say they will miss you and are sad... until they Don't say it and aren't sad.... that hurts worse.
ReplyDeleteMy name is hard for the kiddies too.... I get lots of variations. My nieces and nephews have come up with: Mawinda (kind of in an Elmer Fudd impression) winda, Majinda, Mawind, mareenda, and most adults don't have trouble pronouncing it... they just never get my name right: Michelle, Melissa, Miranda, Melanie, Belinda.... Never knew it was such a difficult name to remember!
Ironic. My word verification is fixeppz
Wockin' post, Homper.
ReplyDeleteBrought a smile to my face.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, great pics!
Awww, carwine, that is such a lovely post.
ReplyDeleteYour kids just break my heart with their cuteness.
Yes it can be a little challenging for those little tongues to get around certain sounds.
ReplyDeleteBest wishes
I was giggling the whole way through this post. Then I got to the label "Welease Woger" and nearly wet my chair :D
ReplyDeleteOur family favourite is my daughter's version of her friends' girls,Naomi and Viva. Aged 3, Ali called them Gnomie and Beaver.
Sweet that they miss you, but that must make poor Fixit feel bad.....
ReplyDelete"Thwow him to the gwound, Centuwion!."
ReplyDelete-J.
I love the way kids just call it as they see/hear/feel it - without any judgement at all.
ReplyDeleteI was told not to 'correct' Little P till she's 4, but I'm not going to let her go on calling her friend 'Bianca' 'Wanker' for the next 3 months!!
I'm envious (in a good way) of you working at night, and teaching tap - how fantastic are you?!!
Love the book, and yes, you was definitely robbed. (I'm an English teacher and I would have given him the prize.)
ReplyDeleteClimber is really known as Climber, apparently, but is Cherub also actually known as Cherub?
That Chewub is quite adowable, he is.
ReplyDeleteVery cute little ones!
ReplyDeleteOne of my more memorable sayings from my kids was "may my be mexcused" .... The 20 year old will still trot it out occasion ally!
And Climber was MOST definitely robbed of the book prize ....
I'm laughing so much at the "But that's alright. He's from Albury." comment!!
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