In general, I really love the 2-5 age range. I especially love the cute things they say when they don't say things quite right. Here are some that we've gotten to hear over the past year or so.
------------------------------------
When the Pumpkin was younger, we let her try hummus with red peppers and some salsa and other things to see if she liked spicy foods. She did not. After quickly realizing that, we determined that it was easier to tell her not to try something that was "too spicy" for her rather than deal with the mouth-on-fire feeling that she didn't understand.
So for probably about a year now, when the Pumpkin doesn't want to eat something or doesn't like the taste of something, she says, "That's too spicy for me."
We tell her, "I don't think that word means what you think it means."
------------------------------------
Over the last few months, the Pumpkin has been going through that stage of testing out what is scary to her. At first, she wasn't really scared of things, just playing the emotion and motions. Then it seemed like she was actually starting to get a bit scared of some things. And then she started using the word scary simply for things she didn't like or want to do.
For example, at bed time she wanted Daddy to put her to bed. When I said I was going to do it, she said, "No! Mommy scares me!"
Let me be clear: I did nothing that would scare her at all. Another time it seems like the word doesn't mean what she thinks it means.
------------------------------------
Sometimes she repeats things we say or songs she hears, but doesn't get the words right.
Like around Halloween, she and I sang along with the radio (and a CD), "Awoooo. Wearwolves of London!" But she would say something like, "Awoooo. Wear wool of dundun." Cute, but not quite right.
------------------------------------
During this recent regression she went through (and even again last night), it seemed to me that she also regressed in her pronunciation of some words that she used to say just fine. So there would be times I simply could not understand what she was saying no matter how many times she repeated herself or how loud she said it.
So we would ask her, "What does that mean?"
And she would answer, "[Whatever word] is a good idea!"
She would say it as if that's what the word meant, not that whatever it was she was talking about was a good idea to do. So I think she's a bit confused over this one as well.
------------------------------------
Just like Cloud's Pumpkin, our girl has also started talking about when she or me or Londo grow little. As in, when Mommy is a baby, the Pumpkin will feed me. Or when we are littler than her, she will carry us.
I'm sure I could figure out an age-appropriate way to explain time's arrow, but it's just too cute for me to do just yet.
------------------------------------
The Pumpkin has also been working on genders and pronouns over the last few months. Londo calls the Pumpkin his little girl, and she calls him her big boy. But lately she's not getting it quite right. This is partly because she loves to assign us all to play different people, so that I'm Daddy, Daddy is the Pookie, the Pumpkin is Mommy, etc.
But being in a contrary stage, she will totally argue with you when you correct her. So she say that daddy is her big girl. We will try to correct her, but she will say, "No, he is not! Daddy is my big girl!"
I think she mostly gets it, but she just likes to play around or argue or, you know, be Two/Almost-Three.
7 comments:
My niece does the same thing with the "too spicy." :)
Aria's done all these at one point or another! I think you may be underestimating Pumpkin when she says something's too spicy or that you scare her. I bet she does know what those words mean, but she's just being 2 and trying to manipulate. :-)
Today Aria said that Emmett's a big brother. This was weird to me because she grasped the whole big sister, little brother thing way before he was born. I corrected her, and then she started to argue saying "but Mommy said he's eating lots and growing bigger! He's A big brother!" so we agreed that he's A big brother, but HER big little brother. :-)
She'll also call me mommy on accident, and laughs at herself when she does.
At least she doesn't say she is allergic when she doesn't want to eat something. At the moment she is 'allergic' to fruit.
@Two Shorten the Road - Isn't it funny? I know we'll have to clear up the real meaning some day, but for now I think it's too cute.
@goofydaddy - My girl does those too! She calls her brother a big brother or says she is the little brother. She will also sometimes call me Daddy or Londo Mommy, but she usually catches herself as she says it or we all just laugh.
@paola - "allergic" to fruit! Haha! Unfortunately, we have the opposite. I tell the Pumpkin that she can't have something because it has peanuts and she's (we think) allergic, and she wants it all the more. Or if we just mention peanut butter, she starts up about how she wants, so badly wants, peanut butter. Sigh...
Yeah, the "when you get little" thing is too cute to try to correct.
On the peanut butter thing- have you tried almond butter? Trader Joes has it. It is a lot like peanut butter.
My Pumpkin says anything she doesn't want to try is too hot, as in temperature, not spicy. Hubby tries to reason with her, but it doesn't work.
I've never heard that idea that parents are growing smaller and will become babies! that is totally adorable!
I like that she is dedicated to caring for you when the time comes. Remind her of that when you're both in your 90s!
Another "too hot". Mommy's coffee is always "too hot" for T to drink, so that's what he says when he doesn't want to eat something - regardless of its temp. I really like the verbal cuteness of this age. Helps me get through the not so cute other parts. Anyone have a way they handle middle of the night tantrums? He used to wake up and want me to lay down with him but now he's waking up and wanting to get up - at 2 in the morning and pitching a HUGE fit when I tell him he can't. Hard to use distraction or just ignore it. I'm at a loss.
Post a Comment