Youngest and I in car, driving along little lane today. Saw Very Old Lady out walking. Bent Double.
Do you think she is Saxy, asks Youngest.
Saxy? Heart sinking. I see Old Lady in rear view mirror. She is Decidedly Not Saxy, but Hell will freeze over before I say so to my 4 year old.
Do you know what Saxy means? I ask him.
He wrinkles up his little nose in thought.
Nope, he replies, locating and taking a toy car out of his pocket.
Oh, I say.
We drive on.
Mummy, he asks a little while later.
Do you think she's Gay?
Cannot Believe Ears.
Gay?
Yes.
Another Poignant Little Pause.
Do you know what Gay means? I ask him.
Again he has a good think.
After a moment or two of Pondering...
Nope, he says.
Finds his other toy car in another pocket.
Oh, I say.
We travel on a mile or so. I point out the lambs on the Downs.
Then I say.
Tell you what. When you don't know what a word means, don't use it. Just use the ones you know.
OK! he says.
Smiles his sweet smile.
And we choose a toffee each and chew contentedly.
24 comments:
How perfectly perfect!
OK until his interpretation of the word is different to yours!
that sounds like an eminently sensible solution!
xx
NN - it was, rather. He was so accepting of the idea!
CW - Mmmm. Lets hope that wont happen for a while!
WW - totally was... Not going to explain meanings of those words on otherwise very nice journey to see friend!
It must have been nice to see the gay lambs out on the Downs. They are so lighthearted, sportive, mirthful, showy, brilliant. With my Pocket Oxford Dictionary I know a gay when I see one.
Gay lambs make lovely mince too!
Well, look on the bright side. It's probably the first time in a loooooong time that that little old lady was thought of as potentially saxy. And I bet she would have been pleased.
No one has called me saxy in years, so have to admit I'm rather envious.
Oye...I'm slowly learning my children's vocabulary expands farther than what we've taught them. I haven't found the culprit yet (tv? movies? grocery store? babysitters?) but when I do, they'll get a decent tongue lashing!
Too bad we don't have some sort of electronic device that uploads our children's vocabulary accordingly. :)
Are you sure he wasn't asking if she was sixty? (My ears aren't what they used to be, y'know...)
That's put paid to his experimenting and enjoying language then, hasn't it?
Don't blame me if he becomes an accountant.
Ho ho! love the toffees!
This reminded me of the story of a friend of mine, of the 6 year old boy who asked his grandfather,
"Grandpa, what is a whore?"
Said Grandpa kept his head and asked, "Oh, where did you hear that word?"
Boy replied, "I read it in the car park. £2 for one whore, £3 for two whores."
Grandpa nobly resisted the temptation to reply something along the lines of "sounds like a bargain to me!"
Love your response to your oh-so-regularly-entertaining little guy. Very, very sensible.
Now, don't tell him I said so, but don't count the old broad out just yet. Her husband might think she's hot stuff. Mine thinks I'm saxy, which I am decidedly NOT, so never rule out brain damage as a source of strange approbation.
Troy - the lambs are wonderfully gay. Gambolling all over the place, they are...
Lovely mince!! You rotter.
Tatersmama - we should have stopped and told her!!
PC - isn't it maddening. He's only 4!! Now, that electronic device sounds just the ticket...
The D - oh my word... do you think he was!! Might really have been... which means this post didnt exist, if you see what I mean.
VS - Ah. But you werent in the car when we spoke of hinges and what they do, and what a simile is (middle son needed to know) and why bees and wasps sound the same but are different, and why arse and ass arent the same, and where blossom goes, and how high the sky is, and why is it blue, and what floccinaucinihilipilification means. Literally. Loads of words. Loads of exploring. But not Gay. Or Sexy. Not yet. XX
Elaine - have discovered that toffees are good for chats! Teeth get stuck to each other, but tends to loosen tongues... love the whore story, as it were! What a word to explain...
Robynn- I know, I know... am deeply ashamed that old lady might actually be only a year or so older than me and highly desirable to husband... but have the feeling that she was the wrong side of a hundred with no teeth. Isnt it wonderful how husbands love us and think us so Saxy! They Rock.
Had this conversation with my youngest too - he asked if I was sexy. I think I blogged it at the time. When my daughter came home asking what 'gay' meant, I told her. She said 'oooh, so it's a man-version of being a lesbian then?' :-O x
Very very clever solution!
"Make lovely mince" was referring to the way the gay lambs walk. Surely you didn't think I meant mince as in meat did you?
Absolutely hilarious! I may have to link to it from my blog :)
I am always going through this with my 5 year old. She likes to use as many words as she can.
Gosh you had an easy time of it then, if I'd asked "do you know what it means?" mine would have said "NO" and asked for an explanation!
Good answer - hope when I"m bent double some small child asks the same questions about me!! Lx
Great answer to the kid! I freaked a little on my youngest when he dropped a couple of words that a kid taught him on the playground. I think I like your answer better.
Real life is hilarious!
And this is wonderful advice:
"When you don't know what a word means, don't use it. Just use the ones you know."
Oh my. Ya just never know when these conversations are going to come up, do ya? Love how you handled it!! I've been reading my kids the Little House on the Prairie books lately... I'm quite shocked that they haven't edited them since they were written, I've changed the word Gay as I've been reading it just so as not to cause any uncomfortable situations. Especially during sunday school, or something.
Phew. Talk about being put on the spot!
Kitty - you are much braver than me... really should have told little one what these words meant, but just didnt have the wise words for the moment!
Polly - Till the next time!!
Troy - !! aha... in fact, thinking about it, they really DO make nice mince, as in your version! Saw them again in field today and could have sworn they were mincing. Little devils.
CS - you are too kind!! Thank you for that link. always get a bit worried with links because I can see LOADS of visitors and no comments... poor bloggers end up on blog that must seem like a foreign land to them!! All Poo and wee and rude words...oh dear.
Mums the word - glad to hear you are in the same boat...
Suburbia - I know... lucky,eh?! Usually I get the other answer and have to be the perfect parent and explain... but not on this occasion. Phew.
FA - I think it was the woolly hat that did it... buy a few when you're eighty plus!!
Hit 40 - Oh, I know, I have done that too.. some words are just too horrible to have around!
Rebecca - How very nice of you to say so...I think that Vicus Scurra thinks differently!
Naomi- oh my word that would not be good! Amazing, isnt it, how the meaning of a word changes SO dramatically.
Mud - Sure was... but toffees helped. Phew!
Post a Comment