The "Stupid" Police

As Makenna’s language has grown, and expanded and more so in understanding, we’ve found one word that was in Chris and my vocabulary that we threw out there often in many instances was “stupid.” Over the past six months or so we’ve tried to watch our language as to not use this “swear” word of sorts.

In our defense, we tended to use it towards inanimate objects such as the tv remote (me) or something someone did or said (Chris). We found that Makenna a while back used this word towards people. She wouldn’t say, “You’re stupid,” but would just say “stupid.” It was generally said to us as we were putting her on the naughty step or as we reprimanded her for some infraction. This is what brought about a change in what we say.

We do occasionally slip up and it comes blurting out of our mouths and the “stupid police” or in other words, Makenna comes to our rescue to inform us that we have just said the world stupid. I think she feels this is her opportunity to say the word without repercussion as she’s just informing us of our wrong doing.

In fact, back when we said we were no longer going to say the word, Makenna cleverly found that by saying, “mom we don’t say stupid right?” was her ticket to saying it without getting into trouble. The problem was that she would say that phrase repeatedly and I would say, “that’s right Makenna, we don’t say that word, now stop saying it!” She would reply, “But mom, I’m just saying we don’t say stupid, I’m not saying stupid.” This little round robin would go on a few times until I had to say with a firm voice to stop telling me we don’t say the word.

She’ll now even inform us if someone in a T.V. show or movie has broken the cardinal rule. So yesterday she was watching one of her after school T.V. programs and they said “STUPENDOUS,” with the “Stu” part drawn out (STuuuPendous). With a gasp Makenna turns to me and says it like they did, exaggerated, and felt that they had said stupid. I tried to explain to her that Stupendous was a word that was okay to say. I then heard, “stuuupendous, stuuuupendous,” and had to chuckle.

You can also see by the picture that we celebrated daddy’s birthday at Grandma and Grandpa Jones house. When his actual birthday came, we happened to have a snow day and it was very difficult for Makenna to wait all day for daddy to come home so she could open up his presents. At least the day off gave me time to wrap them but as she gave them to Chris, she told him what they were prior to her opening them. There went the surprise.

We then celebrated again this past Friday by trying out a new place to eat called Mad Moose,” which was pretty good. They have oven brick pizza, which Makenna had, and BBQ type foods. It’s in a place that we used to go to all the time growing up (in our 20’s) called the Carlton and then L.I.E. When it was the Carlton it was a dance club type place then when it was the L.I.E. it was more of a place to go to hear bands. Chris and I tried to look around and see what they’ve changed and what they’ve kept from our “youth.” We both said we’d go back again sometime.