I have no problem admitting I have a potty mouth. But I am pretty darn good at controlling it around my kids. Of course there have been times when choice words slip out and the kids LOVE repeating them. The most prominent memory is when Teague was 18 months old and we were dining at a restaurant over the water in the Cayman Islands.
My diaper bag fell over and a whole stack of diapers took flight and spiraled into the ocean. The shore was rocky, there was a 6 foot drop to the water, and there was absolutely no chance of me recovering my litter. The S word flew out and Teague must have said it 5, 000 times over the next week. Luckily, he forgot it by the time we returned home.
But today at CharlesTowne Landing, I realized there is another type of word usage my kids are picking up on. It’s not of the offensive variety, but it might be frowned upon in Kindergarten next year. It’s all of my slang.
Examples from our visit to the animal forest this morning follow:
We approach the turkey pen. Teague says, “What up, turkeys?” Notice it’s not, “What’s up?” It’s, “What up?”
We leave the puma enclosure. Crews says, “Peace out, pumas.”
The bugs start biting and I say, “I should probably hit you up with the bug spray again.” Teague responds, “Yeah, hit me up with that, please ma’am.” At least it was politely done.
Crews throws a tantrum at the otter exhibit because Teague climbs into his spot in the stroller. Teague tells him, “Chill-ax.”
When I can’t get the kids’ attention or we are in a big group of screaming children, I tend to yell, “Yo!” Most other kids quiet down because they don’t hear it often and my kids instantly know it’s me. I pull this one out at the bison paddock today when the boys are climbing the fence. Other people look at me like I’m crazy.
There are plenty more words in my awesome slang repertoire, but I’ve already embarrassed myself. I’m not saying I will abandon my phrases, but I might have to accept that it’s time to cut back.
In the meantime…Later taters!
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