Friday, April 2, 2010

wordisms

There are a few things that all kids ever born on the planet have in common. They all mess up words. Whether in a song or a prayer or a pledge, little kids learning to recite big words can turn in to funny things to giggle at. When I was a kid I was pretty literal and if I didn't understand the words, I just sang along to whatever it sounded like, real word or not.  I asked my parents what "burginity" was a half dozen times after hearing a song from "Grease". Like most kids in my area I learned to recite The Lords Prayer and was awfully confused for a long time about the artwork going on in heaven while they all ate their bread on Halloween. And of course, our nation in the Pledge of Allegiance was at the time one nation invisible and I never really understood that because I could clearly see it where I stood.

Teena came home from her intensive academic training in 4- year- old- Kindergarten to tell us a rhyme, and she was so proud of herself that to this day if we so much as think about correcting her, she goes ballistic.

Fee fi fo fum,
I smell the blood of an English bun

Genea's school has this unbearable "Hero's Pledge" thing every day that she sings for us whenever she feels our attention may have strayed from her. It is all about being considerate and helpful and showing kindness to others and it probably is a very nice thing but it is just sooooo "Barneyesque" that it makes me want to hurl. Especially because she has no idea what she is singing. Anyway, if that fails to get our attention she moves right in to the Pledge of  Allegiance, which they say after the Hero's  Pledge. She ends it like this....

One nation, invisible, with liberty and justice fr-og.

I asked her what the frog had to do with it, and she told me with all the righteous indignation of a teenager (gah!) that's just how you say it Mama, as if she were talking to a rather daft old lady. Hmph. Say it that way then!

16 comments:

  1. tee hee, we have lots of those, we call the Fudgisms, it works with his real name too. He does it all the time. Some of it processing, some of it little boy.

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  2. There's a song on the radio Cuddle Bear likes. When I hear it, my interpretation is that it's about Jesus. According to the Cuddle Bear I am entirely mistaken: it is about vacuuming one's basement.

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  3. Thank God my kids didn't have "attitudes" when they were little or I would have had to leave them by the side of the road, far, far from home.
    There's something almost unbearably obnoxious about little girls (boys too, but to a lesser extent) who get all snooty about something they clearly don't understand.
    Could you mention to their teachers that they don't understand the words to the pledges they recite each morning? Ask if they can do a quick review to make sure the kids are reciting the words correctly?
    If it's a standard part of the school day and if it's the foundation of most children's understanding of patriotism then they should be clear about what it is they're saying.
    I doubt that most kids know what it means to pledge something. They probably think Pledge is either a cleaning product or it's something to do with donating money, if they think about it at all..
    If the teachers won't help out, you can enlist the aid of an older child whom your girls admire. Casually ask if she still remembers the words to the Pledge of Allegiance and have her recite it slowly. That should take care of the attitude situation.

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  4. I wanted to mention that I gave you a shout out last week for your followe title-
    Here is the link:
    http://ladyofthearts.blogspot.com/2010/03/lady-of-arts-wins-prolific-blogger.html

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  5. At my kids' elementary school, the pledge was said over the loudspeaker every day followed by "please sit down". To this day, my college-age kids say the pledge "...with liberty and justice for all, please sit down". They know what they're saying now, but seriously for years, all the kids thought it was part of the pledge.

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  6. A long time ago, Daddyman was an officer in the USMC. Princess was 4 and practicing for her Christmas play at preschool. She sang and sang and sang something I just did not get--neither tune nor words made any sense as they exited her mouth. I asked why she kept singing that. i was informd that Old Maid and a Major was her favorite song. You know it--old maid and a major no crib for a bed...

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  7. So funny. My kids are always coming up with interesting lyrics to songs...always hearing those wrong.

    Ask my step daughters son what the name of the movie with "Pedro" in it and he says Dynamo Napolinite. So funny.

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  8. LOL! Lately J's is mapulation instead of manipulation. Bet you could never guess why. :)

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  9. Thanks for the kind comments on my blog. MUCH appreciated!

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  10. Ah, yes! My son came home from school asking me what an "ashool" was. Huh? Seems there is an autistic girl in his class who calls everyone "ASHOOOOOOLLLLL" Sometimes mis-pronunciation is a blessing.

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  11. OH!! ASHOOL! Dang, that took me a minute too! LOL!

    Lady Ren- I saw that when you put it up- thank you! I change it every once in a while for some variety.

    Kizz, I do agree that the kids should know what they are saying, it is disrespectful otherwise. However, they are too young for some of the abstract concepts at this point. I never liked rote memorization as a teaching tool. They are learning the constitution right now and so a lot of it goes together.

    These are so funny! I love the stuff other kids say!

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