Parenting
My Little Parrot by Emma Johnson
Updated: June 18, 2014
Originally Published: March 8, 2010
At the age of two, our son is quite the chatterbox, especially within the comfort of our home. He often rambles on for a couple of minutes, weaving together a delightful mix of thoughts. I manage to catch enough of his words to grasp the essence of his musings and respond accordingly.
“Oh, really?”
“Is that so?”
“Mmmm-hmmm.”
My husband and I are beginning to notice just how much our little one is absorbing—he’s like a big, fluffy parrot, eagerly repeating everything we say. To prepare for this, I’ve been swapping out my usual exclamations for more family-friendly alternatives. Out with the old, in with the goofy phrases like “Aw, shoot!” and my personal favorite, “Mother of PEARL!”—which never fails to send him into fits of giggles.
A few evenings ago, we were gathered around the dinner table when my husband excitedly recounted his success with metal recycling.
“Remember how much you teased me about collecting all those cans?” he asked.
“Mmmm-hmmm,” I replied, dishing out Brussels sprouts, while our son protested with a loud, “Nooo Brussels sprouts!” I recalled the messy piles of aluminum that cluttered our garage. Sure, it was already a disaster area, but I still wasn’t thrilled about the cans taking up space in my son’s Radio Flyer wagon.
“I made fourteen dollars from those two bags, plus seven bucks for the old car radiator!”
“Seven bucks, seven bucks!” our toddler joyfully chanted. This week, his vocabulary has expanded to include a catchy “four times” along with a slew of other cryptic phrases that only he seems to comprehend.
Reflecting on my own childhood, I remember how my full-blooded Italian grandmother taught my sister and me some of the most unexpected phrases in her melodic language—like “I’m single with two kids” or “you have an ugly face.” My mom would chuckle, saying, “Great. Now you have to explain what that means!” I still know how to say some interesting Sicilian expressions, which would leave my grandmother in tears of laughter. I found it particularly amusing to know how to say, “I’ll break your face” in Sicilian; it definitely has a mafia vibe to it.
On the other hand, my husband, with his genteel English and Texan roots, finds it hard to fathom discussing such colorful phrases. I’ll save those stories for my little parrot until he’s older and can appreciate the humor.
Not long ago, we were on FaceTime with my sister and my three nieces, and she was excitedly sharing the color of her new front door: Black Fox. Our son enthusiastically repeated “black fox,” which, in his toddler lingo, sounded an awful lot like a certain four-letter word. Go ahead, try saying it with a British accent! My sister and I burst out laughing, especially when he leaned in closer to the camera to say it. My husband often reminds me that what’s funny now won’t be so amusing later, and I know he’s right. Just like I’m not supposed to laugh when my son burps or passes gas; yet there we were, giggling together while my husband shot me a disapproving look. We’ll let his kindergarten teacher handle that later.
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Summary
In this light-hearted reflection on parenting, Emma shares the joys and challenges of raising a talkative toddler who mimics everything said around him. From creative replacements for colorful language to amusing moments captured on video calls, the article highlights the delightful chaos of family life. It also touches on traditional phrases learned from her grandmother, contrasting her upbringing with that of her husband, who prefers a more refined approach. The article ends with links to helpful resources for those considering home insemination and navigating the journey of parenthood.