Monday, July 2, 2007

Welcome To My Country

I was just telling my MIL that it's my goal in life to curb all annoying habits my children may try to develop. I think it's a mother's job. Mother's who send their children out into the world who slurp or chomp or snap their gum or scratch themselves shamelessly in public....shame on them. I'm kind of hard on Bo as he is getting to an age where he likes to try out new things.

Just a couple of months ago, he started slurping every 90 seconds or so. Or would punctuate whatever he said with a nice juicy slurp. It took negative 5 seconds for that to send me over the edge. And I nagged him relentlessly. He stopped in about 3 days. It could have been a lifelong habit. You are welcome world. In defense of His Cuteness, when I did ask him why he kept making that noise, he had a great answer. "Oh, well I do it every time I need fresh slobber."

Well, duh.

So, on Friday he started something new. And it could easily be an annoying habit, but I don't think I'm going to try and curb it because I find it oh-so amusing.

He has started clicking/clucking, whatever you call it, before he says something, while he's saying something, and immediately after he says something. It's so weird. And SO funny. My little red haired Zimbabwean.

My friend presented a paper she had written in college at some seminar/conference/smarty-pants-read-their-papers-for-other-smarty-pants thing and she made reference to this language and of COURSE didn't pronounce their words using the clicking sound. Because she is American. And speaks English. As did the people she was presenting to. However, there was a know-it-all in the crowd who actually had the nerve to come and correct her pronunciation as though she were the socially ignorant one. So, she and her pals, anytime this guy was around would talk according to his dictates. "Hey, you wanna go get some pi(click)zza?" I always thought that story was so funny.

As long as my son is just the random/weird kid who clicks for kicks, and isn't the obnoxious know-it-all correcting people, I'll be happy.

I will consider that perhaps I suffer from the mom syndrome that everything my child does is cute, but only consider it.

11 comments:

Super Happy Girl said...

Awww, the boy needed fresh slobber
Clicking for kicks in your country and all over yo' grill.
So, have you asked him about the clicking? What did he say?

Tori :) said...

That (click) was a gr(click)eat post (click.) I love (click) your sense (click) of hum(click)or. Or is it cluck?

Anonymous said...

Do you think you could move in with me and work on me some? Just leave the plumber crack alone....his is the best!

Carrot Jello said...

Everyone needs a little fresh slobber now and then. Geez, give the kid a break, lol.

Suzanne said...

It's hard when kids do new interesting habits. My oldest son used to rest his hand on his...uh you know...without thinking about it. It was a nervous habit I guess. We thought people would would think he was weird, but we tried to downplay when he was pulling a Michael Jackson. He eventually stopped doing it!

Hopefully "B" realizes that getting the extra slobber isn't as exciting as he once thought! Hopefully you don't go cuckoo in the the meantime! LOL! :)

There is a woman in my ward that criticizes other adults all the time. I hear it at least once per week. Who do these people think they are???

Code Yellow Mom said...

I haven't thought about Mr. Click McClickpants (or random African dialects) for a long time! But I am so proud of Ben for expanding his linguistics in such a creative way. When I meet up with him again, I will tell him lots of stories about the Griqua that he can share very creatively - with clicks and all!

And thank you, really, for trying to give the world one less public slobber maker. I'm working on two nose picker/wipers. This motherhood thing - whew! so many things that we have to be up on...

Luisa Perkins said...

Your mothering instincts are right where they should be. Keep up the great work.

Sketchy said...

Who doesn't need fresh slobber every now and then, or extra clickclucks in conversation?

Millie said...

This post reminds me of the Spongebob episode when he goes to another town and no one can understand him because he doesn't stop and do "raspberries" between every other word.

"I can't (spit) understand (spit) your accent (spit spit)!"

Super Happy Girl said...

I juts wanted to say that this clickclucks thing has made me laugh a lot.
Almost as much as Not happy Bob!
And the Fpeck
And the special post...

Deena said...

I love kid answers. Fresh slobber. Ha!

Thank you so much for curbing the annoying tendencies. My greatest pet peeve is when people talk with their mouths full and especially when they chew with their mouths open. I always wonder who these people's mothers are. My FIL does it, and it sends me over the edge every time. I have to ignore him every time we eat together. Lucky for me he lives across the country.