{Vocabulary}

I attended a training once in which we learned that the children in households where adults have college degrees have a broader vocabulary.  Most of the time (I mean there are always exceptions, right?), these families, in addition to being more educated, also have very different lifestyles than families of parents who are not educated and are maybe, say, on welfare.  Kids in these educated households were exposed to more language.  And I don't mean that the parents sit down and said "ok today we are going to learn what 'juxtaposition' means."  But in everyday conversation, the educated parents were using more words and bigger words.  The example I remember was that this "educated family" might have a conversation such as:
"So what do you want to do for dinner?"
"Oh I don't know.  Let's go out somewhere."
"Ok, I'll call Mariachi's and make reservations."

The presenter basically told us "Kids on welfare don't make reservations so they wouldn't really be exposed to that word."  It made a lot of sense to me.

My kids teachers and my other co-workers tell me all the time "Mason talks so well."  And while I know Brandon and I probably have something to do with it, Mason also has the best little language teacher around in Ellie.  But Mason is also a sponge.  SPONGE.  He picks up everything.  He picks up things in ways that Ellie did not.

He learns things from tv.  I told ya'll the story of all the things he is learning on tv, right?  He can see a show or movie once and then recognize the characters anywhere.  (Ellie is not that way.  We are currently struggling to get a birthday list from her.  She is evidently not influenced by pop culture???)

And lately I have noticed more and more things that I know he is picking up somewhere.  A lot of it, I hear from his teachers.  He'll say things like "Oopsy daisy!" or "OH sorry Mom (yeah MOM, where did that come from???) That's my fault!" if he drops something.  It all just cracks me up.

But his most interesting mimic came while he was staying with my parents a few weeks ago.  Now I KNOW without any doubt that he did NOT learn it at my parents house.  Not that they are saints or anything, but I just know they don't talk this way.  This new little phrase, which I will not type here, is a three word phrase that ends with an emphatic IT.  I have been privy to hearing it pass his little lips twice now- once in the bathtub and once this very morning in my closet while trying to get his shoes on.

Mason is that kid who you say "Mason, you need to sit down in the chair."   and he will push you until you go to him and sit him down.  And he is still likely to stand back up just to spite you.  And glare.  And dare you to try to get him to sit down again.  So I feel like any punishment or reaction when that darling phrase escapes his little lips will only serve to reinforce the reaction he is seeking.  (Yeah I have learned a lot working in Early Childhood Education!) My mom came up with the idea to just simply say "Oh let's don't say that!  Say: 'Hallelujah, Praise the LORD!'"  (Which is actually another phrase he loves saying.  And no we don't go to a church where they dance in the aisles.)

When he said "the phrase that will not be mentioned" this morning, I resisted, HARD as it was, from popping his sassy little mouth.  I gained my composure and did as Nana instructed with as little reaction as I could muster.  He repeated "Howyalooyuh!  Praise dee Lord!" and we went about our business.  So when you hear him singing the Lord's praises, you know what he really means.

And let's talk about where he learned that other little phrase...Shall we?  I asked him.  He first told me he heard it from a teacher.  Which I actually believe, though I have never heard it from her myself.  Then...THEN he told me that "Daddy says that!"  And really, what little boy doesn't want to be just like Daddy?  And yes, I can attest to the fact that while Brandon and his Purdue education have taught our kids words like "reservations", he has also shared not so nice words with them.  Words that I say "You better watch it!  They are going to pick this stuff up!"

(Now I will give the disclaimer that I taught Mason "shit".  We were moving, I walked to one door and it was locked, I said "shit" and Mason repeated "shit shit shit shit shit".  But he hasn't ever said it again.)

Hopefully from here on out, we can work on words like  propinquity, maritorious, inevitable and possibly coprolalia.