"The duck store? What's the duck store?"
"The DUCK store!" she repeated like I was an idiot for not knowing what the duck store was.
"What do you get at the duck store, Sweetie?"
"DUCKS!" she said and rolled her eyes just enough to convey the idea that she thought I was completely simple-minded and she marveled at the fact that I'd made it to the ripe old age of 39.
"Well duh. Of course you get ducks at the duck store. What else would you get at the duck store?" I asked rhetorically.
"Crayons!" came her answer.
"Well, of course! Crayons! So, let me get this straight. I need to go to the duck store to buy you a duck and crayons?"
"No, you need to get me a present."
"What present?" I asked, getting more confused the longer we talked.
"A duck and crayons!"
I refrained from slapping myself in the head.
"Is this a real duck?" I inquired.
She looked at me like I was insane. Again. And said, "No, it's a duck that washes off crayons."
It finally hit me. She wants this...
We had one of these bathtub sets a looooong time ago. I can't believe she remembers this!
Foreign language interpreter: just another one of mom's jobs
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Make sure to stop by my review blog for a chance to win a $100 Lands' End gift card HERE
and a case of V-8 V-Fusion juice and an LLBean tote bag HERE!
How adorable! Wow, nice job figuring that one out!
ReplyDeleteAmazing what the kids remember!
ReplyDeleteI'm just reading your chapter "house devils and street angels" -- and you know what: besides that it's the same in my family (people keep telling me how well behaved my kids are -- huh? Are they really talking about MY kids???), we also have the exact same term in German: Hausbengel and Strassenengel! That's funny.
By the way, know how kids learn to speak by observing and listening to others? The other day I told my 2 year old daugther to wait for me in the front yard while I was just going to lock the door. "Okay, Ma," she said -- and, of course, immediately took off over to the neighbors. At first I wondered why nobody will ever listen to what I say (even though that doesn't come as a surprise, ;-)), but then it hit me: She did exactly as she observed with her older siblings -- say the one thing and do the other, ;-). I mean, in her little mind "okay, Ma" really must mean: "Yeah, right, see if I care!".
Thought it was so funny once I realized.
So long,
Corinna aka Frau_Mahlzahn (somehow I can't sign up)
Please please please can you go back to having the full blog post in your RSS feed rather than a snippet?! I can only read blogs through a reader when I'm at work, so get frustrated when I see the beginning of the message but not the rest :(
ReplyDeletehey, what changed with your blog? in my reader it shows like half a sentence then "head over to my blog for the rest of the story." good for getting more traffic, but bad for lazy blog stalkers, like me.
ReplyDelete"Foreign language interpreter: just another one of mom's jobs" - I about snorted my coffee over that line after the funny story. :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks for starting my day with a smile!
I remember trying so hard to interpret what my daughter was saying when she was learning to talk. Now that she's talking well (maybe too well!) at three, I still have to interpret, just like moms everywhere.
ReplyDeleteWonder what interpretive skills will be required when the triplets start talking?
Thanks for the laugh.
Christy
Hey Dawn! Just a quick question. Why can't I read your entire blog post in my google reader anymore?
ReplyDeleteI love it!
ReplyDeleteMy little one is nearly four and I have these situations every day. His language is very "special".
Greetings from Austria
Sabine
That is TOOO funny. It's a good thing you figured it out. She might have you committed!
ReplyDeleteHAHAHA, good one Brooklyn!
ReplyDeleteI was trying to figure out what she was talking about also. Kids...
ReplyDeletethis is priceless... simply adorable. ;)
ReplyDeleteDawn,
ReplyDeleteThat's cute.
I just wanted you to know that I had went to Border's and they haven't gotta your book. The man said it never had came in. I live in St. Charles. Near St. Louis, Missouri. Do you know what books stores will carry it? I hope all will.
Gosh, I can't believe you didn't know what the duck store was! Kids are so funny!
ReplyDeleteOoooooh! The DUCK store! Why, of course, duh!
ReplyDeleteThat is so funny!!! So we have to keep interpreting even AFTER they start speaking clearly, huh?
finally got your book today. can't wait to read it. wooohoooo!
ReplyDeleteHi Dawn!
ReplyDelete"Foreign language interpreter: just another one of mom's jobs."
Ha ha ha ha ha ha!
By the way, it isn't just one of mom's jobs; it's one of the WIFE's jobs as well. For example, a typical statement from my husband:
"You know that guy who did the thing on that show? I think I'll do that."
Through the query-and-answer system (demonstrated in your blog today), I discover that he is talking about one of those DIY shows involving remodeling a kitchen, and now he wants to install the same type of lights in our kitchen.
Sandy in Tucson
So, did you get it for her????
ReplyDeleteForeign language interpreter will come in handy with aging parents or husband. Nouns seems to be used sparingly by both, and sometimes I feel like I have to be a F L I with all of them!
ReplyDeleteROFL! That's brilliant. There was one time I was babysitting a little four-year-old, and she wanted to pretend that we were going out to eat.
ReplyDeleteMe: "Where do you want to eat?"
Four-year-old: "We can go to yed yobzer!"
Me: "Wait, where?"
Four-year-old: "Yed Yobzer!!!!"
After ten or twelve repititions, I figured out that she was trying to say "Red Lobster." Ooooohhhh, riiighhtt....
The blue one does NOT wash off shower walls!!!!
ReplyDeleteI had a set of these in college.... when I lived in a townhouse with 4 guys. You don't even want to know how many hours of scrubbing it took to get many dirty words and drawings out of the shower at the end of the year so we wouldn't get fined! (But ridiculously fun before we found out how much the blue one sucks!!!)
That's very cute of Brooklyn, so Dawn, did you get her that after she had spent so much time telling you what she wanted?
ReplyDeleteCorrina
It always amazes me what kids pull out of their memory banks. Nice mom to figure that one out. I don't know that I EVER would have gotten that one!
ReplyDeleteAnd Sanctuary? Yay? Nay? Don't want to stand you up accidentally ;)
Gosh. You don't mean interpreter....you mean investigator!!! I never would have figured it out, and we have had these too! The kids love them.
ReplyDeleteHave a good Friday!
I love stories like this... it makes my family feel normal!
ReplyDeleteHAHAHA. I read this post to my husband, telling him that it reminded me of something our 2 yr old niece would say. After I read it to him, he said ya, she always tells her dad to "make me a duck" when she needs to go potty. Her parents couldn't figure out what the heck she wanted at first... and then they realized that they usually tucked her skirt or shirt up under her arms so she didn't get it in the toilet... and that was what she wanted.
ReplyDeleteKeep up the good work, Dawn, and if you ever head down to Shreveport, Louisiana, let me know.
Out here in Oregon, going to the Duck Store isn't a strange request.
ReplyDeletehttp://uoduckstore.com
I hope they heed Abby's advice and don't sell those at that Duck Store.
It's amazing the things they remember, seemingly out of nowhere! Yesterday my 4.5-year-old came to me crying. When I asked what was wrong he said he misses our freezer. After much questioning I realized he meant the small chest freezer that used to be in our garage -- I gave it to my in-laws back in January. He has never said a word about the thing before. I was finally able to get him to stop crying by telling him we could go visit the freezer at Nanny and Papa's house soon.
ReplyDeleteOh, and when he was really little all the stores were color coded. It took a while to figure out what he meant, but Target was the red store, Walmart was the white store, Home Depot was the orange store and Lowes was the blue store. I forget what the green store was....
ROFL! I never wouuld have figured that out.
ReplyDeleteHi Dawn!
ReplyDeleteMy name is Jenn, I have been reading your blog for about a year (first time commenting though!) I ordered your book the other day, and I just got home from work and found it in my mailbox! I started reading it right away, and I am LOVING it! I'm on Chapter 2 so far... I have a feeling nothing is going to get done at home (the reason I left work early today) until this book is done!
Awesome that you´re writing these things down for posterity... she will LOVE to read this when she´s older!!
ReplyDeleteHey Dawn,
ReplyDeleteI was in the hospital all week with an allergic reaction to "something". My husband brought your book to me on day two, I was so excited that it had arrived. He knew just what I needed! It really kept my spirits high getting a fill of your humor. I had to keep putting the book down so I would have something to pick up through out my stay. I totally enjoyed your book, and especially laughing out loud so many times! Looking forward to the next one...
Texas MomEE of 6
Oh my gosh, don't you love these moments. I spent 20 minutes one morning trying to figure out what JOhnny was saying, while also trying to get ready work. I had to play twenty questions...
ReplyDeleteto find out that my child who can not make an R sound was simply trying to tell me he was RoaRing! oye
Hilarious! I love it!
ReplyDeleteMelissa :)
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