30 December 2008

Somebody tell me what she means ...?



Smoochy is talking. Yes! Talking. She has been talking for a little while now. But sadly, she's not making much sense.

One of her favourite things is brushing her teeth. She LOVES it, well, she used to love it until she -err- stopped loving it. I can't work out why, and I need your help.

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Smoochy: Teess! Teess!

Me: Okay, let's do your teeth. Again.

Smoochy (with brush in hand): Payss, payss ...

Me: okay, we'll get some toothpaste on. Hold out your brush. Help me squeeze some on. There.

(Smoochy smiles a little then her face falls and she lets out a scream that would make your ears bleed. She gets uncontrollably angry and starts wiping the toothpaste off the brush onto the bathmat and walls.)

Me: I have absolutely no idea why you're upset.

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Another thing she has always loved is milk. She's a milkaholic and has drunk buckets of the stuff from the same sipper cups for months.

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Smoochy: Mook! Mook! Peeeze! Cup! Need! Peeeze, Mook!

Me: Alright, I'll get you some milk.

Smoochy: Yayy! (Claps hands.)

[Smoochy often cheers Yayy! and claps her hands when a parent finally understands her. It's not a little patronising.]

Me: Okay, here we go, pouring your milk. You look happy about that. (Smoochy nods head.) Here's your milk.

(Smoochy takes the milk and smiles a little, then lets out that ear-bleeding scream again and throws the sipper cup on the floor.)

Smoochy: No! No! Pinty! Pinty!

Me: Wha-? You mean 'plenty'?

(Smoochy nods.)

Me: Are you saying you need more in the cup?

Smoochy shakes head: Pinty! Pinty-y-y!

Me: Do you mean you've already had plenty?

Smoochy: Pinty! PINTY!

Me: Again, O Small and Powerful One, I have not a clue what you're saying.

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Help me. What am I doing wrong in these scenarios? I have no idea.

Addendum: As I wrote that final sentence, Smoochy woke up. After I'd carried her and three obligatory dolls from the cot-room to the living room, she said, "Mook?" and I asked her, "Oh, no, are you going to scream and say "Plenty" again? And she smiled and nodded.

14 comments:

John Ross Barnes said...

OK, BEEN THERE, DONE THAT, WILL CERTAINLY BE DOING THAT SOME MORE, FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD ...

Our 4 year old has some speech/language problems, as well as some of the obsesive & rigid expectaions of what is "right" that often go along with autism(which they swear he's not).

There is ALWAYS a reason - just can't always calm him down enough to find out what it is.

Sometimes just have to put him in timeout(away from us and our beleagered ears)

Some times I really want to look at him and say "I don't CARE what your problem is now, you're about to have a bigger more real one between my hand & your butt, because you don't get to act like that or treat me that way"..But I never do. ok, almost never.

God save us all....

(They actually think some of his speech issues may be caused bY the fact that he has a WHOMPIN' BIG TONGUE...Got it from his mother - not my fault)

Hang in there, in a few years it won't matter any more.(They just won't believe you can't understand them when they say "can I borrow the Car?")

Femina said...

Did you previously have some funky, stripy, fun coloured toothpaste that you have since replaced with boring white Colgate?

Allegro ma non troppo said...

Could be she's just changing her mind about doing it herself or how much she wants.

I don't see what you could possible be doing differently.

jubilee said...

I just always chalked it up to the fact that my kid finally realized that he/she had a choice to do as he/she always has done or do something different.

Honestly, I doubt you are doing anything "wrong."

(Found you through SITs.)

Unknown said...

Ahhh yes... speaking toddlereese... love that stage.

I need to post about the froggy store sometime.

Big hugs and a good luck!!!

Adelaine said...

I agree with your sister - I don't see what else you could be doing different! I do remember when Dos was little him wanting more and his cup was already full. So we would fake pour more milk (like where it was disguised behind the stove or something like that) and then he was happy.

About our weather here :) - it is seriously strange. Here in the Southern part of the state, the tempatures were very fall-like around Christmas. That, of course was followed by a nasty line of storms when the cold front came back through. Now we are hanging out at around 10-15 degrees above freezing. If we were to travel 5 hours north of where we are, we would see lots of snow and it would be much colder. It's weird! Usually January and February are worse here - so we will see :)

Jen said...

After I figure out my kids are saying, I will try and help you but it could take a while.
On the other had have you asked, Sonny? Sometimes Hayden gets things that I don't with the babies.

GreenJello said...

Have you changed your brand of toothpaste, or did the toothpaste packaging change?

Have her go to the store and pick out her own toothpaste and brush. That helps.

Has she reached the stage where she doesn't want the top on the sippy cup? Maybe she's mad because she can't drink it as fast as she wants.

Paige said...

maybe too much toothpaste? I had a hangup about that as a kid--still do actually--too much pisses me off. maybe that is it for her

Alison said...

Sorry I have no idea, but I do feel your pain. We can understand Mr. Blue now, but he still throws shrieking fits because he wants to do Every. Single. Thing. By. Himself. Life goes much slower that way, but it's better than listening to the screaming!

The Blonde Duck said...

Saying hi from SITS!

Dee said...

Ah the joys of deciphering toddler speak, I often asked my older girl what the younger one was saying. she often knew.

Toothpaste - she may want your paste, not "baby" paste, my girls did that for a while

Pinty - thats a hard one - do you put Quick in it sometimes? Pinky? LOL, I am glad I can understand most of what Miss 3 says now, even if she does still have a major wobbly over things.

Hippomanic Jen said...

Can't help at all. I guess it doesn't help to know that I got a giggle from your post.

Anonymous said...

Jen and Dee from Downunder hit it. There seems to be an age where toddler-speak hasn't totally faded from their minds where an older child can translate for us poor, stunted adults.

No 100% guarantee that Sonny is at that stage, of course. But whaddaheck? It's worth a try.