964 replies to this topic

[jvincion]

I think responding in baby talk only reinforces that it's the correct way to pronounce a word.

I only respond when she makes grunting sounds. She goes "eh", I go "eh?" She's not really at a point to be pronouncing anything yet.

Nice! She's only been on the planet a few weeks and she's already picking up the Canadian language!

[DoctorShumway]

Next step is to teach her all about the wonders of hot dish, snow machines and "you betcha".

I think my kid's mind is going to be blown by Northern Minnesota when she's older.

[chunkstyle]

I have the task of teaching my kids to speak without an overwhelming southern accent. So far, it's not going so well.

[Ryan8bit]

Next step is to teach her all about the wonders of hot dish, snow machines and "you betcha".

Ha. Hot dish is a somewhat regularly used phrase, but no one really says "you betcha" and we don't call snowmobiles snow machines. I heard they do that in Alaska, though. Unless you meant snow machines as things at ski hills that generate snow?

[DoctorShumway]

Haha. I guess it's just a northern Minnesota/Canadian border town thing. Good show!

[weener]

Tender Lad and his family are from Ontario and they call them "snow machines."

[arise_shine]

Well I don't know if I'm quite cool enough to be called a "Shizz" yet, but I am cool enough to have a wife who has two children. So that makes me, at the very least, a step-dad who sometimes views and participates in this forum called "The Shizz."

Anyway, I think babies are really cool and kids are really cool. Seeing my stepson perform in the children's choir at church was more rewarding and amazing than any rock concert or punk rock show or prog rock fest or whatever that I've ever attended.

Some of the highlights for [step-]parenthood for me have been to re-experience and enjoy the simpler things in life. Watching his little brain figure things out. Watching his personality develop over time. Watching how he interacts with other kids. I like that he hasn't been desensitized to all of the sensory overload of this world (just some of it, like sweet snacks and cartoon violence). I hate that he learned the f-word by overhearing me yell at my wife. But I'm glad that he still doesn't know what it means, just that I say it when I'm in a horrible mood and thus it's probably not a good word to say.

Anyway, there's some of my thoughts, whatever it's worth.

Oh yeah, and don't even both trying to unaccentuate your speech. Personally, I think accents are awesome, even goofy ones like from 'Scansin where I'm from, der hey. Ya, go Pack! That said, it does bother me that Zevi says "excape" and "air-a-plane" like his Californian mother.

Oh yeah, and Kajagoogoo kicks ass! Especially with Nick Beggs on lead vocals and Chapman Stick. Wish I could track down a copy of that CD...

- Jack

[DoctorShumway]

Our tub for some reason doesn't get that hot when I'm filling up the bath. Last night I yelled at the tub "WHAT THE FUCK YOU STUPID WATER!?" and my daughter came over, looked me in the eyes and said "Fuck water?" It was awesome.

[chunkstyle]

Once, when I left my daughter with her grandparents', I told her, "you be a good girl, ok?" and she said, "Oh, I will daddy. I won't say 'shut up' or 'dammit' to anybody."

She also made a grand entrance into the room one time, yelled, "what the hell is going on in here!?" and then left.

The other day, she came and asked me what "folk" meant. I told her that's just another word for "people," and she looked a little confused and went back to her video game. About two minutes later, I hear her yell, "This folking thing is driving me folking crazy!"

It's hard feigning outrage when you're trying not to laugh. Also, I know she didn't pick any of that up from me, because I do a pretty good job of keeping a lid on the language at home.

[mig50]

Our tub for some reason doesn't get that hot when I'm filling up the bath. Last night I yelled at the tub "WHAT THE FUCK YOU STUPID WATER!?" and my daughter came over, looked me in the eyes and said "Fuck water?" It was awesome.

incredible (both yelling at water, and your daughter's reaction).

[Norrin_Radd]

Wait, Snow Machines? WTF!?!

[inkaholic]

Um yeah, no shit. Obviously at a certain point you learn the right way to pronounce things. Maybe in special ed classes like my brother because his "cute little way of speaking" was encouraged by my family?

my little brother has a speech impediment that I'm convinced is partly my family's fault. Because we can understand him, my parents never really bothered trying to get him to speak properly in fear that it would "scar" him. Which I get, but when he was 6 I started not responding to him unless he used the right pronunciation, which helped some. he would be like "wanna play spierma with me?" and i'd say "i don't know what that is" until he forced "spiderman" out of his mouth. yeah, he got frustrated a lot, but he also uses the right word now.
(the jersey accent doesn't help; he says "fing" for "thing" and "forf" for "fourth", which is also how my dad/grandfather pronounce things sometimes, so i can't really say that's part of the impediment)

I really hope any future kid I might have doesn't inherit my accent [or my prodigious cursing, but that's another story]

[the Wozz]

I really hope any future kid I might have doesn't inherit my accent [or my prodigious cursing, but that's another story]

cuss away. my mom cusses ALOT. so did my dad. it freaks out my step dad though.
i'm pretty sure the first time i heard the phrase "cock block" was said by my mom.

[Gurthang]

Been out of town for a while and wow lots of great responses.

Listening to other people's advice on child raising and then deciding what's best for yourself seems like the best approach that I was already going to do anyway. It's great to hear other people's stories though. I hope this thread stays alive for a while.

[Gurthang]

Here's the result of my pre-daddy duties lately.

http://www.geocities...n/painting.html

She better appreciate those damn stripes!

Seriously though, this is all for the wife. The kid won't give two shits about this even when she's old enough to give two shit about it.