T Rex Family

T Rex Family

Friday, October 8, 2010

Toddler Translations

We've been struggling with our toddler.

His Spanish is growing by leaps and bounds but he cannot seem to understand basic English. Thus, we've been trying to analyze the situation and the first thing we've decided to do is offer some translations to better understand where he is coming from.

Here's the format:

"What we say"
- His interpretation

"Feet on the ground."
- Just squat where you're at (on a ladder, on a table, on the bookshelf, etc.). It gives the impression that your feet are on the ground.

"Mommy's on the phone."
- Find your loudest toy and commence playing with it or if playing with loudest toy hit the same key over and over again.

"Gentle with Bebe Sister."
- Give Mom a heart attack and continue jumping over her like she's a candle stick and you're Jack Be Nimble.

"Bed time." - Throw yourself on the ground and whine loudly because maybe it will eventually wear Mom and Dad down to the point they let you stay up longer. (It has yet to work, though).

"Choose one toy to take in the car." - Grab three of your favorite toys and begin negotiations which result in two toys going in the car.

"Smile for the camera"
- Do everything but smile.

"No thank you - tub water is for bathing, not drinking."
- Next time you're in the shower, drink the water from the floor.

"Careful. Cars are coming..."
- Run at top speed for the street.

"Bebe Sister's awake"
- Run into the bedroom and climb into her crib with her. It makes her giggle.

"We're going to the grocery store."
- Hurry and put your shoes on so you can see the Lightning McQueen ride-on car, the giant M&Ms, the cake in the bakery with eyes on it, and the scary witch and skeleton on display. After all, going to the grocery store is about the sights, sounds, and smells, not about getting food. Oh, and don't forget to ask repeatedly to hold, pat, or take home various items along the way. One never knows when Mom or Dad might cave and actually comply with these requests - here's to hoping!

"STOP!!!"
- Hurry up otherwise Mom will make you stop before you finish whatever it is you're doing. And if you're fast enough, you can pull the fire alarm at Dad's employee health center causing 300 people to evacuate the building during the busiest working hour. Then ask for a Sponge Bob sticker for waiting through the blaring alarm. (No sticker was given. I "wore my grumpy face" for a very long time after this!)

There is a reason we say T Rex is force of nature.

Yes...these toddler years certainly do keep us on our toes.

Do your kids have their own interpretations to your requests?

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

T-Rex Mommy! I'm so glad to hear that I'm not the only one that has a 2 year old that acts like that! Sometimes I feel like I am so alone with this crazy boy! It's always comforting to know that 2 year old boys are all they same and we are not alone! Just about every one of those translations are they same as Carson's even drinking the water off the shower floor! Thanks for sharing.

R. Tuitama

Caitlin said...

HILARIOUS!! And so true! I am SOO sorry to hear about the fire-alarm thing! ACK! How embarrassing! Glad to know that I am not alone....

PS Over here "It's time for mommy to nurse Isaac" means "Hurry up and decide that you need to go peepee in the potty!"

Jed Wheeler Family said...

Oh yes, we know about that around here. How about "Don't put your fingers in your mouth at the grocery store"-but really its okay to lick the shopping cart.
It's not good for my blood pressure.

Jenners said...

I just loved this!!! So funny (when it isn't so horrible). These feel so oddly familiar!

zombiemom said...

Great post! Made me laugh!
He sounds like a normal toddler! Just pushing buttons and testing his boundaries!
I hate to tell you this but "terrible twos" in my experience, were nothing compared to "horrible threes"!
However, these are such fun years because they are finding their personalities and growing so much!
Try to take a deep breath and enjoy!

Julie Kieras said...

oooh, T Rex is a riot!!!
My son can't talk yet. Probably a good thing b/c already he makes his wishes known. The other day, I tried to distract him with a toy while attempting to "snorkle" his nose with the aspirator. He grabbed the toy and promptly chucked it to the floor on purpose. Oh, he has a mind of his own already! :)
This was a very funny post!! :)

Kim said...

Surely Deaglan and T Rex are brothers separated at birth!!! All the same communication problems are occurring over here. The phone thing and being nice to younger sibling...I say it all the time and I'll say it again - it's not the infant that's making the transition to two children challenging:) Awesome post!

Missus Wookie said...

That made me laugh - just had another force of nature post from another mother of toddlers...

http://townmonkeys.blogspot.com/2010/10/confessions-of-inquisitive-mind.html

Ginger said...

What a funny little guy you have - and so typical two, too. I wish I had recorded a lot more of these funny toddler moments to look back on and laugh at.

Good luck keeping up - with him and everything else!

Nina said...

LOL..... I understand all of these so well plus I have the 7 year old with the attitude who also provides his little brother with bad attitude behaviors. It is so much fun sometimes, isn't it?