Translating “Kid” language

I got to thinking the other day that I do a lot of translation each day. My three girls talk to me in their own unique ways and each day I must interpret what they’re saying. And usually each day they are teaching me more and more words and phrases in their own little language. Sometimes I just don’t get it, sometimes it’s repeated multiple times, and usually it’s funny!

I thought I’d write down some of their lanugauge….


If Brianna gets any sort of hint that SOMEONE is going “bye-bye” she immediately runs for her shoes… “FOOF, FOOF, FOOF” she yells. I think sometimes she’s afraid she’ll get left behind! She loves going somewhere, and she loves to wear her shoes.


I also need to be careful that I don’t misinterpret FOOF--which is shoes for FOOF -- which can also be juice! See, as a mom I need to keep my ears open at all times for translation of each situation!

Brianna must like using the “FFFFF” sound… because “FAHF” means trash. If she wasn’t 22 months I’d say she had a speech impediment!!!! But it’s just toddler pronouncing!



EVERY SINGLE TIME we are in the car – and only have driven out of the neighborhood, the age-old kid question is asked by Annabelle – “Mama, are we here? Yes or no?” It’s the same question, phrased in exactly the same way at almost the exact same time.

Each morning once Annabelle’s feet hit the ground she is “ready” for the day! After she says “morning mama” it will always be followed by “Can I put my Chose-on”. Chose-on are her clothes. I think she says “chose-on” because I’m always telling her to put her clothes on!!!! So now she thinks they are called “chose-on” I think what cracks me up the most is that she loves to get dressed first thing in the morning…always the first request. She never would think of eating breakfast in her Pjs! (I’m not sure where she gets this from, since her mommy gladly stays in her PJs until at least 9am. Yah, my secret is out, I’m not one of those “get-up-get-showered-&-dressed-before-my-kids” moms!!!!)


A few days ago, all four of us were in the car and Annabelle said something like “Mama, are you a naughty girl?” (Because I apologized to Jasmine for something). To which Jasmine says “Annabelle, Mama isn’t naughty. Grown ups are never naughty, they just make mistakes.”

Jasmine also likes to say “ah, ah, ah, ah – no bad words”. This means that she doesn’t want my voice to be raised, or in a cross tone. She knows that this means I’m frustrated! So she’ll catch me before I start talking! She also frequently asks me “Mama, are you frustrated at me?”






And finally, my least favorite words to hear…

“Somebody wipe my bottom….”

It’s funny that both Annabelle & Jasmine will say “somebody”, as if someone else other than ME is going to come & help them!!!! This is the cry I hear multiple times a day…usually quite loud…usually when I’m eating. Gosh, what am I feeding my children that they have mutiple bowel movements!!? I guess it means they’re certainly healthy. This is probably one of my least favorite ways to START my morning. I’ll be sound asleep and hear this phrase to wake me up. Hmmmm…. Sounds like need a new alarm system!!

Ahhhh, the joys of mothering. Sometimes I think (like the above) that I’ll be glad when they get out of certain phases in life…but then I stop and realize that I’m going to miss all of this someday….(Maybe not the bottom wiping!)