Leave the Babytalk to the Babies

Kids developing language skills for my money is better than
Dane Cook in my living room.  I find
their trials and tribulations in language development both fascinating and
hilarious.  For example, my 3 year old
daughter told me today that her little brother got pulverized.  I have no idea where she heard this word. She
was not using it correctly, but that did not stop her from telling everyone she
knew.

When they say something funny, my natural urge is to repeat
it. I also really want them to say it wrong again because I think it’s awesome.  For example: my 1 year old son calls his
grandfather “Gampy”.  When he says it in
the high-pitch voice of his, it is gangbusters. 
Inevitably, I find myself saying “Hey little guy, where’s Gampy?”

My daughter has a hard time with Rs. She says Ws instead. I know that this is a common problem.  When she was younger, she had a more unusual speech issue.  She would put an S in front of her Fs.  So she would say things like: “Mama, I want to see my sfriends.” and “Dad, I love my sfamily.”  My wife and I couldn’t help ourselves. We would talk about how we were a sfamily and how we liked her sfriends.

{mosnooad} When she started attending potty university, she would inform us (and still does to this day) that she has to go peeps, or poopsies.  When she wants to say “very”, she says barry. “Mom, Pops is barry barry silly.”  Washclothes for the longest time were more like “closhclobs”.  I still sometimes ask her to grab a closhclob from the closet. 

This is all cute and a good inside joke for you and the sfamily, but it can be a problem if you keep it up.  Next thing you know, Grampa is always known as Gampy. This is how queer names for grandparents like Meemaw, Pap Pap and Wooby are born.  Do you want to have to explain the origin or your cute-ass names for your kid’s grandparents everytime you talk to your buddies? Do you want to sound like an 18 month old everytime you mention your parents to your friends?  If the answer is “don’t care” then babytalk away! Otherwise proceed with extreme caution.