A Reader's Guide to Children's Words

As you may know, I have been watching my nieces during the weekday and occasionally my nephew on the weekend in addition to the girls. What you don't know is the second language that is spoken at my house. These words are based on English, but to the outsider, we are using made up words or even misusing words that have been around for ages. Here you will be able to learn about these words and maybe even use them with a smile on your face because you know some very bright, adorable children helped create the new uses of these words.

fridgenator - noun. No, this is not a superhero to help you eat the healthiest foods. This is Kenleigh's word for the "refrigerator." "Jennifer, I can't open the fridgenator."

empy - adjective. The description of an object that was once full but is now empty. "Jennifer, my juice is empy."

peep - verb. The act of urinating. Past tense: peeped. "Jennifer, Aislynn peeped in the chair!" (We are trying to potty train her and she had a slight accident. You poop, why not peep?)

screwdriver - a cob knob. "Ducky, I can't eat this. I need that screwdriver." (With some context clues, we figured out to give the child something to hold on to.)

Propunzel - Princess Rapunzel.

perprize - interjection. That thing you yell when someone walks through the door to catch them off guard (surprise!). "Perprize!"

pappy - noun. a child's pacifier. "Oh, pappy? Where are you?"

posiple - noun. What Kenleigh calls a popsicle. "Jennifer, I want a posiple."

ogert - noun. A dairy product commonly called "yogurt" by most Americans. "I want a Spongebob ogert, Jennifer!"

color - noun. Any marker, crayon, pen, pencil, paint, etc. Anything that makes a mark and you can color with. "Bipper, I *grunt that sounds like want* color (while pointing to an Expo marker)."

baby - noun. Any small, stuffed animal or doll that can be held on to while either niece goes to sleep. "Here's your pappy, your blanket, and your baby. Now go to sleep."

Ebu - Proper noun. Pronunciation: EH•bu. It's what Aislynn calls Evan. Example: Whenever I am on the phone or Skype, Aislynn says, "I *grunt that sounds like want* talk to Ebu."

Eban - Proper noun. Pronunciation: EH•bin. Cameron's attempt to say Evan's name.

share - verb. Stop playing with something and give it to me. Example: Kenleigh was playing with a tape measure for a solid 20 minutes. Aislynn came into the room and thought that would be fun to play with, so she tries to take it. Kenleigh refuses. I say, "Kenleigh, let Aislynn play with it. You've played with it for a long time, it's time to share." About 30 seconds later, Aislynn is screaming because Kenleigh is trying to take it back. When I go to investigate, Kenleigh explains, "Aislynn won't share!"

That's about as many words as I can recall right now. But this is what I speak either daily or weekly. We add new words whenever a new experience occurs, so you might expect a second edition. Thanks for stopping by!