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Friday 27 November 2009

Reported conversations No. 16 : parolace

My 3-year-old daughter, B., is fond of telling me she's no longer a little girl but a big girl. In theory, she brushes her own teeth, goes pee-pee on the toilet, and doesn't cry when they try to feed her peas at scuola materna. Ergo, Mama, big girl, not little girl. Please.

This morning :

Mama (laughingly) : "B., you're a little bugger, yes you are, a little bugger."

B. (adamantly) : "No I'm not a little bugger. I'm a BIG bugger..."

B. then repeats herself three times just to see Mama fall off her chair with laughter all over again. And all the better to memorize the new vocabulary.

Dammit, I must be more careful with what falls out of my mouth at seven in the morning. Do you think social services will be knocking on my door because I'm teaching my children English swear words that originated as 16th-century ribaldry among the soldiery of the British Army?


5 comments:

Woodman said...

We are laughing our heads off here in the UK. What a little (Big) knib. The social services (some joke) can hiss off.

Alan Burnett said...

Is that the origin ... how interesting. I always think that it is rather strange that the term is almost a term of endearment here in Yorkshire as in "the old bugger".

Christine Gram said...

Big bugger. That's cute. Oh, the trials of scuola materna and peas. I took great comfort in knowing that my punkette was eating her veggies at school. She did not.

LadyFi said...

That is hilarious! I used to say 'bugger' quite a lot until my kids starting running around mimicking me... Nowadays, I say things like: Oh goodness! Good golly Miss Molly! (Which sounds ridiculous I know...)

Louise | Italy said...

LadyFi: I use Good Golly too, and always regret it, it sounds so silly. I have an Italian friend who uses Santa Polenta, which I particularly like!

Christine : Yes, I sometimes wonder about that line of "si" across the list that tells the doting parents whether their kids ate each course at lunch. Especially when I see it next to "spinach".

Woodman : Never seen or heard of the social services up here - I guess they don't want to walk up! Or maybe I'm a decent mother after all...

Alan : The 16th century brought terrifying tales of the goings in the Orthodox church. The term bugger (= bulgar) later came to characterise members of the British army, who were so badly paid at the time had to go on the streets to keep body and soul together, and usually plied their trade right outside the barracks gates.

Friday 27 November 2009

Reported conversations No. 16 : parolace

My 3-year-old daughter, B., is fond of telling me she's no longer a little girl but a big girl. In theory, she brushes her own teeth, goes pee-pee on the toilet, and doesn't cry when they try to feed her peas at scuola materna. Ergo, Mama, big girl, not little girl. Please.

This morning :

Mama (laughingly) : "B., you're a little bugger, yes you are, a little bugger."

B. (adamantly) : "No I'm not a little bugger. I'm a BIG bugger..."

B. then repeats herself three times just to see Mama fall off her chair with laughter all over again. And all the better to memorize the new vocabulary.

Dammit, I must be more careful with what falls out of my mouth at seven in the morning. Do you think social services will be knocking on my door because I'm teaching my children English swear words that originated as 16th-century ribaldry among the soldiery of the British Army?


5 comments:

Woodman said...

We are laughing our heads off here in the UK. What a little (Big) knib. The social services (some joke) can hiss off.

Alan Burnett said...

Is that the origin ... how interesting. I always think that it is rather strange that the term is almost a term of endearment here in Yorkshire as in "the old bugger".

Christine Gram said...

Big bugger. That's cute. Oh, the trials of scuola materna and peas. I took great comfort in knowing that my punkette was eating her veggies at school. She did not.

LadyFi said...

That is hilarious! I used to say 'bugger' quite a lot until my kids starting running around mimicking me... Nowadays, I say things like: Oh goodness! Good golly Miss Molly! (Which sounds ridiculous I know...)

Louise | Italy said...

LadyFi: I use Good Golly too, and always regret it, it sounds so silly. I have an Italian friend who uses Santa Polenta, which I particularly like!

Christine : Yes, I sometimes wonder about that line of "si" across the list that tells the doting parents whether their kids ate each course at lunch. Especially when I see it next to "spinach".

Woodman : Never seen or heard of the social services up here - I guess they don't want to walk up! Or maybe I'm a decent mother after all...

Alan : The 16th century brought terrifying tales of the goings in the Orthodox church. The term bugger (= bulgar) later came to characterise members of the British army, who were so badly paid at the time had to go on the streets to keep body and soul together, and usually plied their trade right outside the barracks gates.