You Say… I Say…
Everyone has some sort of accent, a way of speaking. We emphasize certain letters, and draw out parts of words, or even shorten words. It comes with the life we live. It makes up part of who we are.
There is another category all together, which I’m not sure how you would define it other than genius new versions of words. Let me explain. The majority of the words I am about to present to you, are words that children have used. It’s how their ears hear the word, and how their mind interprets the word, and then how their mouth translates, or attempts to translate the word. I don’t know what makes some people’s brains interpret words this way, but I have added them to my daily life conversations, so much so that I sometimes don’t even realize it. And the some of the following are things I or my family have renamed just because.
You say… black-eyed Susan’s. I say… brown-eyed Lucy’s.
You say… helicopter. I say… Hacado.
You say… Cardinal. I say… Cardiner.
You say… M&Ms. I say… Nm &Nms.
You say… Collards. I say… Collies.
You say… binoculars. I say… noculars.
You say… America. I say… Camerica.
You say… popsicles. I say… double wides.
You say… McDonald’s. I say… MixDonald’s.
You say… water. I say… wado.
You say… dandelion. I say… flower blower.
You say… pretzel. I say… prentzel.
You say foyer closet. I say four-year old closet.
I have an abundance of reasons why children make my heart sing. But being a decoder of their words and speech, is by far one of the most fun and challenging! There is never a dull moment. They are determined to be understood, and I am just as determined to figure out what they want to tell me. I love watching videos of kids in “conversations” with adults- just to see if I can figure out what they are saying. And then there are the kids that can tell you everything with just look, and those kids have my heart too.
I have been attempting to type up my Lucy’s journey, in hopes to get it into book form someday. And I am reminded of the very real and raw realization that hit hard right after her diagnosis, and still hits now, just a little gentler. I realized I would never hear her call me “Mommy.” Let alone speak at all. She had squeaks, squeals, cries, giggles, but never any “chatter” or words. I knew and know the blessings of hearing a child’s voice calling for me- Miss Anna, NaNa, Cousin Anna… and I cherish every single one. I longed for her to call me Mommy, as I believe every mom, parent would.
There are also families that I have watched go in and out of the children’s clinics, family friends who have gotten hard news, that never get to hear these words either. Lucy was a baby, yes, maybe a little bit delayed in the “chatter” department, but she could make herself know. But it’s a whole other heartbreak when your child is still growing, and the world’s expectations of milestones are weighting heavy. And in most cases, you have friends that have children around the same age- who are hitting those milestones like olympian athletes. But that’s not your story.
Why in the world did I take this from funny to the hard stuff? Because of this: I can speak from both sides of having the honor and blessing of children, niece, nephew, cousins to call me special names, and names that I will cherish- even the occasional Ms Hanigan 😂. But I will always live with Lucy never having the capacity or time to say “Mommy.”
So here is the challenge I have for you: Open your eyes to see, your ears to hear, your mind and heart to begin to understand. Do these things in expectation of hearing the funny things kids say, and write them down! Treasure them! Be still enough to observe parents who are just as much parents as the ones being yelled at, “MOM! DAD!” Consider a tender smile and maybe a nod of recognition that they are valued. These are such simple things, but are HUGE in the lives of children and parents.
Life book of the Week: Each Kindness, by Jacqueline Woodson
