October 04, 2008

English Is a Tricky Language

Puppy and I were driving in the car this afternoon. I was dropping him off at my parents' house before heading to a baby shower.

Puppy: "I am going to Nana's house. Where are you going, Mommy?"

Me: "I'm going to a baby shower."

Puppy: "A shower?"

Me: "It's a party for Jenny and Mark, to celebrate their baby. Did you know Jenny has a baby growing inside of her?"

Puppy: "Is it in her uterus?" Puppy pronounces "uterus" with three very distinct syllables: u-ter-us. It's adorable.

Me: "Yes, the baby is growing inside Jenny's uterus. When she is born, Jenny and Mark will be her parents. They're naming her Fern."

Puppy: "I don't know that word, 'fern'."

Me: "That's okay. A fern is a type of plant. Jenny and Mark are using it as a name."

Puppy: "But I know 'swip'!" I showed him what a boat slip was the other week when we were walking by the river. His L's are all still W's.

Me: "That's a good word to know."

Puppy: "Fern is in her uterus. I was in birth mom K's uterus!"

Me: "That's right. Every single person in the whole wide world grew inside a uterus."

Puppy: "Then she'll come out of her uterus?"

Me: "Yes, she'll come out when she's ready. That's what happens when a baby is born."

We drove for awhile in silence. I contemplated my deep, abiding dislike of shower games. Puppy was apparently pondering more practical questions.

"Mommy, how will you put the shower inside her uterus? What if the baby Fern doesn't like to get wet?"

8 comments:

Megan said...

Funny how the minds of kids work - funny and adorable. Though, it does make sense. What *will* Fern do if she doesn't like to get wet? :)

cynthia said...

thoughtful boy, that one.

Tammy said...

Wow... he thought that one through didn't he??? So cute but yes, so true about language. I've learned over and over with Bug that it is literal to her and I can't speak like I always have.

Lori said...

Why on earth do we call them showers? Because we shower the bride/mom-to-be/baby with love & gifts perhaps? I'm sure wikipedia would have the answer.

Puppy sure has a good grasp on things. Whereas many kids his age would think they grew in a tummy, he knows he grew in a u-ter-us. So smart!

Anonymous said...

*dies* That is absolutely priceless and beats even the best of the funny stuff that my little brother said when he was about that age. (My mom kept a book of his quotes, and we just went through all of them at his engagement party recently.)

Heather said...

@lori - The uterus thing is my fault. I'm weirdly picky about teaching the kids the right anatomical terms.

Anonymous said...

aaawww! from the mouth of babes...how adorable! if only everyone could hold onto that pure innocence and the simply exact explanations in life. puppy definitely has a great awareness of where he came from and the whole birth process. what a smart young man!

abebech said...

My niece wanted to know who was changing the baby's diaper while he was still in her mom's uterus. She was horrified to learn that he wasn't wearing one . . .

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...