12 August 2008

99

My integrity as a writer -- and a mother -- has been challenged. Even though Husband was in the car when his eldest son used the word "prefer" correctly, he is insistent that Jack didn't say it.

I find this intriguing considering immediately following my conversation, I said to him, "Oh my gosh! Did you hear what he just said?" And of course he hadn't because the Tigers were on the radio.

So I rehashed what he missed (including the word "prefer") and we both laughed and commented on how smart and amazing Jack is ... Apparently, he was just faking that conversation? Just nodding along? But I bet if anyone asks, he can tell you who was pitching and what the score was for the game.

Details on his son's growing vocabulary? Not so much.

And why is "prefer" so unbelievable when he's a kid who uses "actually" on a daily basis? "Prefer" is no more difficult a concept to tackle. If I were Jack, I would be insulted. He is a child who (though still confused by pronouns) understands past tense versus present tense and plural versus singular. He corrects incorrect spoken grammar when he hears it and is constantly asking me English-language questions. This boy is the product of two professional writers who have always spoken to him as if he was at least 10 years older than his actual age. Why wouldn't he say "prefer"?

So Daddy, how did the Tigs do?

Following the vocabulary theme -- Brennan now says "uh-oh." Though he has refused to say it in front of his father (perhaps because he figures it is a lost cause) Jack, our nanny and I have all heard it. It's can't be easily described but it's truly exciting to witness the teeny-tiny "uh-oh" through his puckered up baby lips after a quick toss of keys.

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