Dealing with the lexicon of toddlers

My oldest son is 26 months old; my younger son is 8 months old.

They are both at different stages of mimic. Both are quite funny and entertaining, but one in a very dangerous way.

My younger son says dada, baba, tata, and nana. Often, I can get him to say these “words” on cue, but of course not in front of other people. He tries to say “hi,” among other words, but none of them quite come out of his mouth in a language that others understand yet.

Then there is my older son. He is quite good at repeating things - even things I would rather he didn’t. For this very reason my husband and I are very conscious about what we say around him, and have been for quite some time. When we’re out in a public setting we try to shield him when a conversation of somewhat questionable nature is being held.

Another one of his mimic skills is that he loves to sing and dance. Around the house we have a lot of CDs and videos for little kids that he can sing and dance with.

But when I am driving, I like to have the radio on for news and traffic updates. Never before has this been an issue. Honestly, I didn’t think he could even understand the lyrics of most of the songs on the radio.

I was mistaken.

We were running errands last week when a favorite song of mine, Unskinny Bop, came on the radio. I don’t think I really ever listened to the lyrics, but hearing my son sing them back to me made me laugh hysterically, at first. Then I started to think about my precious little boy in his preschool class singing “unskinny bop, bop, bop, bop” (which he sang for the rest of the day) and the teachers wondering what I was teaching this highly impressionable little child.  

That Sunday we were on our way to church when the song I’m Too Sexy came on the radio. The lyrics aren’t too explicit and more humorous than anything. I didn’t think anything of it until my little guy started singing the two words he picked up from the repetition: “I’m Sexy.”

He sang this repeatedly as we drove the rest of the way to church as I fought every urge to turn around and go home. I was mortified at the thought that he would be singing this while in the nursery at church. Granted, I again thought this was hilarious, but wasn’t quite sure if the church was the right forum for him to express his musical talents.  

Thank goodness he forgot about it when he saw our family and friends. But these two instances have made me very conscious about everything my son hears.

I am just waiting for the day that his words leave me speechless.

Former radio personality Carey DeBeaux, who  grew up in Rio Rancho, is now raising two sons with her husband Tim. Her column on family life will appear on a regular basis. Click here to contact her.