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Cryptic Expressions Parents Use
You know how parents have their own little sayings? I often find myself tossing around phrases like “Great minds, kid,” when my children and I are on the same wavelength. I also love to drop, “If I had a dollar…” and leave it hanging there. Occasionally, when I’m feeling particularly nostalgic, I’ll say, “If I had a nickel…” but I doubt my kids even know what a nickel is. They’re much more focused on the crumpled bills they find scattered around the house.
It’s funny, isn’t it? I never finish those phrases because I know what I mean, but I can’t help but wonder if my kids are scratching their heads in confusion. Will they someday dissect these phrases in college, pondering their meanings? “Great minds…what does that even mean? Greater than good minds? Great minds…are found in full skulls? WHAT COULD THE END OF THAT SAYING BE!?” But let’s be honest, they’ll probably just Google it. So, what I’m really doing is teaching them that their mom is a bit of a puzzle, but they can always rely on the internet for the answers.
Honestly, I use these phrases more for my own amusement. Like any adult, I have my verbal quirks to fill the gaps in conversation. For example, I’ll say “Kool and the Gang” when I want to express approval, or “Ground Control to Major Tom” to signal that it’s time to pay attention. It’s like a secret language that they’re not quite in on—Kool and the Gang? They’ll only hear that at weddings!
Here’s another classic I toss out: “It’s your funeral.” It’s my way of making it clear that not wearing a jacket to school is a poor choice. “You don’t want to wear a coat to the bus stop? Hey, it’s your funeral.”
Kids drop slang to connect with their peers and to keep us parents guessing, so it’s no surprise that we adults have our own sayings that confuse them. I’ve been trying to wrap my head around “gotta see a man about a horse” since my dad said it back in the ‘80s. Maybe he just thought it sounded funny.
I enjoy keeping my kids a bit in the dark with my words; it’s a small perk of being a parent. It’s that same instinct that leads us to say “maybe” or “we’ll see.” Or perhaps we want our kids to think we’re full of wisdom. They expect us to have all the answers, like how to open tricky food packaging. Little do they know, sometimes we struggle with the simplest things too! But saying something quirky like “this jar is tighter than a duck’s bottom, and that’s waterproof!” makes us sound knowledgeable, right?
When I consider the weight of adulthood and parenting—like remembering to register the kids for soccer or finding that moldy sandwich we almost ate—it’s a bit overwhelming. If we can’t handle basic bread, how are we supposed to raise kids? Maybe our cryptic language is just a way to maintain the illusion that we have it all together. One day, our kids will grow up and realize that we were just winging it like everyone else.
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In summary, as parents, we often speak in cryptic phrases that confuse our kids, keeping them guessing while we navigate the challenges of raising them. It’s a delicate balance of maintaining our authority while also admitting, sometimes, we’re just figuring it out as we go.