When Is A Word, A Word?

As a toddler, I attended a preschool called Children’s World, where they taught 2 - 5 year-olds the basics of learning.

Words, letters, numbers, sharing, foreign languages…

In 1972-ish, the aforementioned daycare taught Spanish words and phrases. Today, that’s a basic requirement of any daycare, but it the ‘70s, it was forward thinking.

So, I came home with a new phrase that was to be said after someone did something for you. That phrase was “Gracias” (for the uninitiated, that’s thank you in Spanish). Of course, what I said when I got home was not “gracias”.

I pronounced it “God sees us”.

My father assumed the private daycare had some previously unmentioned religious leaning that they were imparting to his first born. Let’s just say he was not particularly happy about it.

While my father is not anti-religion per se, he dislikes surprises.

Fortunately, my mother listened better and was more levelheaded. She was able to explain what I was saying before my father yanked me out of school and gave them a piece of his mind.

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The Squeaker has moved beyond the “Ah” sounds and is firmly into the “Da” sounds.

So she frequently strings the Da’s together in a “dada, dada” fashion. It appears more so when I’m reaching for her and/or holding her.

Does this mean she actually associates the word with me? I’d love to believe that, but I don’t think it’s true.

P.Pie, on the other hand, thinks it does. Particularly when she’s on night patrol and Squeak says, “Da! Da!”

For P.Pie, this means Squeak wants her Daddy to put her to bed.

Funny how it always seems she’s calling for her daddy when mommy’s ready for bed…