What's a Bumpychick?

I'll admit that I'm "one of those mothers" who giggles when her little hooligans spout things from their mouths that well, let's just say: sound inappropriate.

Then, there are the questions children ask that throw you off guard, like when my oldest son asked me if I would be embarrassed if all of my deep, dark inner thoughts were broadcasted on a billboard. Like, what do you say to that?

And, all I can do is shake my head when I look back at the time when I couldn't, for the life of myself, figure out why in the world my then two-year-old would want to set my newest addition's pants-on-fiya!

I also recently admonished, with my tail between my legs, how Kodi-bear chastised me for bad words.

Lately, though, I've been trying hard to figure out exactly what a "Bumpychick" is.

Yes, this is my current-two-year-old, Kodi-bear's new word. Bumpychick.

Used in a sentence? "No, you Bumpychick!"

Your guess, at this point, is as good as mine!

If you figure out what he's trying to tell me, please leave a comment! We'd love to hear the made-up words and phrases that come out of your precious little one's mouth! Have you figured out what they mean?

 

When Your Toddler Says Bad Words: A Mom's Admission

Last night, on "Modern Family" (which aired on ABC), yet another controversial topic was brought up. Call it swearing, saying bad words, profanity, potty mouth...and it's not just controversial in the parenting realm, it's also a topic of argument in the television industry, too. Little adorable Lily on Modern Family pushed all of the limits last night when she dropped the (obviously bleeped) "f-bomb" on "Modern Family".

Prior to the airing of this episode of "Modern Family", the Parents Television Council  had already given the show ratings across the board that state boldly, "the show contains adult-oriented themes and dialog that may be inappropriate for youngsters". Their rating scale breaks television shows according to four categories: sex, language, violence, and overall, marking each category with color-coded ratings similar to a traffic light. "Modern Family" has earned a yellow for all four categories.

I'm sure that last night's airing didn't help much to improve the Parents Television Council's opinion about the show. Television-wise, the controversy is between the organizations who speak out to keep our television experience PG-rated and "safe" for children and the groups and individuals who protest that this type of censorship completely disregards our First Amendment rights.

The controversy for parents is whether or not children should be saying curse words at all and how to handle the behavior. Many parents are absolutely mortified when their toddler very clearly spouts a "naughty" word for the first time, and even more humiliated when they do it in front of other people...Needless to say, baffled by the fact that these little people actually figure out how to use the word, let's just say, "correctly" in a sentence!

So, are we so-called "bad parents" if our children drop the f-bomb or some other explicative that is obviously a no-no for our little angels' tongues? Are they destined to become criminals and live in the dredges of society if they start spewing no-no, potty mouth words at the young age of two? Are we terrible, no-good parents who, in public, will be recognized as a "bad parent" who doesn't properly discipline our children?

According to "experts", it's normal for our toddlers to start spurting out curse words around the age of two, when they are working hard to expand and hone their language skills. Timothy Jay, a psychologist at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts who studies psycholinguistics and obscenities, states that, "Kids say swear words as soon as they talk."

Recently, I have been stunned to hear a specific "bad word" coming out of my very own Kodi-Bear's mouth. He's even quick to say, "Mom, don't say b----, it's a bad word," completely out of the blue and keep repeating the sentence until he gets a reaction from someone. The word, alone, has become one of his favorite things to say lately. My first reaction was probably a bit different than other parent's reaction to their own children spouting this type of verbatim, due to the fact that I've been through this phase with six children already.

The first time he enlightened me that, "B---- is a bad word", I responded with a calm, "Yes, it's a bad word and we're not going to say it." Immediately, I had to turn around to hide the giggle that I couldn't help. (Yeah, whatever! You have to admit, it was kinda funny.) Where did he get this from and how in the WORLD did he know that it was a bad word??? (The answer will soon be revealed...)

Jay, along with colleagues, have created a list of "bad words", dating back to the 1970's, that day care workers, teachers and other people who work with children have reported hearing from the mouths of children. He says that children pick up quickly and mimic words that they hear, even if they don't understand what they mean.

Now, obviously, my precious two-year-old Kodi-Bear knows that the word is bad and that he shouldn't be saying it. And, most toddlers can "pick up" that these words are no-no's. They're trying new things, learning about their environment, and quite often, feeling out the waters to see what kind of reaction they will get.

There are a few different ways to handle your toddler when he (or, in the case of "Modern Family", she) says a no-no, naughty bad word:

1) You can punish them. (This is not necessarily my choice reaction, but many parents will take this route.) Most experts will agree that this is not the best way to respond, either. They say that, although the child knows that it's a bad word, they don't understand the concept of bad words like we do, as adults, and they're simply playing with their language skills.

2) You can acknowledge that the word is "bad" and they shouldn't be saying it. (Duh!) There are even books written for children like "Elbert's Bad Word" and "The Berenstain Bears and the Big Blooper" to help parents explain bad words on a child's level in a constructive, but fun way.

3) You can ignore the behavior. Let's just say that this has been my #1 choice, for the most part. Although, I will admit it's difficult to do this when you have seven children and the older childrens' reactions to my toddler's potty mouth is to either announce loudly that "Kodi said a bad wooooooooooooord!" or giggle and belly laugh about the ironic cuteness of it all.

But, ultimately, what we really need to be doing is cleaning up our own language. Right? Okay, maybe they heard the word from their older siblings or grandparent or day care, but in my house, that's not the case. I admit, I dropped the B-word that my two-year-old picked up. No, I shouldn't say the no-no naughty words, and, yes, I do have a better vocabulary than that, but I make mistakes.

So, Kodi-Bear was actually right when he said it, "Mom, don't say b-----, it's a bad word." We can learn a lot from our children!




I found a cute place on babyzone.com called Bad Word Bloopers where other parents have posted their bad word stories about their children.

Getting Rid of the “Me First!” Monster

If you have ever given classroom lesson plans, if you have ever made cookies, or if you have ever been a mom, then you know about the “me first” monster. This monster likes to creep up on your kids while you are going on with your activities unaware. You are having a nice relaxing day spending time with your kids when all of a sudden “I want that,” and “me first,” is being shouted at the top of your children’s lungs. The “me first” monster has attacked.

It is not so much that your kids want to annoy you, but in their minds being first is very important especially when it comes to food. If you want those nice, calm days to stay nice and calm, you need to learn how to avoid and eventually eliminate this terrible monster.


There is no reverse psychology about it, all you have to do is tell your kids, “First the worst, second the same, last the best of all the game, Rah!”


Honestly, it does not take some big trick or hoax to get your kids to stop whining about being first. All you have to do is tell them that whoever says “me first” will automatically be chosen or given whatever it is they want last.


At first, your kids will still be easy prey for the “me first” monster. It will take a while for your kids to get the idea but if you keep telling them, first is the worst and last is the best, they will eventually think about the consequences before shouting that ugly phrase.


In the beginning of your monster elimination process, remember that your children will not remember. When your children start shouting “me first, me first!” try to pay close attention to the child who says it last. Whoever says it last gets to have whatever it is first. After doing this for a while your children will start to remember that saying “me first” right away means they have to be last. They obviously don’t want to be last so they will eventually stop saying the phrase altogether.


As long as you remember this phrase, “First the worst, second the same, last the best of all the game, Rah!” And you work it out with your kids by talking to them about things, then you will never have to be victim to the “me first” monster again.


Madison Hewerdine is an author who likes to write about classroom lesson plans and has a passion for singing.

Thanks for the great tip, Madison! I think we've all suffered the "Me first" monster. I also have "It wasn't me", "Didn't do it" and several other "children" I didn't know I had! Readers, what monsters do you battle and how do you deal with them?

Blame It On The Fingers...

As the sixth in line, Dakoda (our little two year old "Kodi-Bear") has learned to play the "blame game" pretty early on in life. It's never surprising to hear him say, "No! Dilly-go did it!", referring deviously to Dylan, his 3 year old brother, whenever he wants to pass the blame for something naughty that he has done.

Today, however, he found a new scapegoat for his actions...

As he was pulling the stuffing out of a favorite, tattering blanket in my room, he looked at me before I could say anything and said, "No! Wingers did it!"

Pants On Fi-Ya!

They say "kids say the funniest things!", and boy, can I back that up! With six children, someone's always saying something funny (and, to my embarrassment, inappropriate, at times!). So, it won't be surprising if I throw in a post on my blog about the funny things my kids say every now and then.

When my now five-year-old, W, was two and my now two-year-old, D, was an infant, W would give me updates from the seat behind me in the van when we ran errands. "The baby is sweeping!" or "the baby is awake!" But, there was one thing he kept saying that I just could not figure out.

"Mom, I think the baby needs his pants on fi-ya," he told me one day.

"Oh, really?" I asked, treading carefully. Did my child really want to set the baby's pants on fire? I'm well aware that it's normal for a child to feel like the baby is moving in on their space, but did we have to be so drastic?

His only response to me was, "Yep." And, that was that.

The next day, he said it again, "Mom, I think the baby needs his pants on fi-ya!"

Okay, what could that mean?

"You think he needs a diaper change?" I asked.

"No, he needs his pants....on....fi...ya!" he enunciated.

"Pants on fire?"

"No, his PANTS ON FI YA!" He said again, like I was an idiot.

Not wanting to seem like I didn't understand him, I just said, "Oh! Okay." I was so glad he didn't want to set the baby's pants on fire, I was willing to pretend that I understood what he was saying.

Later on that day, he mentioned it again, "Mom, I think he needs his pants on fi-ya."

"Show me," I said, and he did! He ran out of the room, scooped up something quickly from the kitchen, and brought it to the baby.

Of course, I should have known that my son did not want to set my infant's pants on fire, but with children, you never know. He produced the "pants on fi-ya", and tried to stick it in the baby's mouth. And, the baby immediately starting sucking on what WE know as his pacifier.