name game

[velvetpage]

I noticed a few days ago that Elizabeth seemed to be practising saying her own name. It comes out as "bisbeth" or "bisbet", but that's not bad for this early and such a long name. Today I noticed when exactly she decided to practise her name.

First, context. When we say no to her, it's usually followed by a direction. For example, "No, Elizabeth, don't touch that," or "No, Elizabeth, come here," or equivalent sentences in French.

Well, when I tried to cut her nails a few minutes ago, she told me, "no, Bisbet. No, Bisbet." She did it about four times before I clued in. She associates her name with the word no!

It was really cute, until I realized that I don't want her thinking her name is something negative. So now when I say yes, or I'm not giving any particular direction, I need to use her name too.

It could be worse. The two-year-old we visited on the weekend seems to think her name is "you".

Comments

[athelind.livejournal.com]

My mother tells me that her great moment of What Have I Been Teaching My Child? was when, at the age of perhaps two or less, she realized that I thought there were "Bad Boys" and "Good Girls". We never really figured out if this simply reflected the relative degree of scolding my two-year-old male self required compared to my 4- and 6-year-old sisters, an actual bias in discipline that she'd never realized before, or if I simply developed the ear for alliteration that I retain to this day.

[velvetpage.livejournal.com]

Possibly some of all three! Though I'm never going to use the phrase "bad boy" or "bad girl" with my kids. It's the behaviour that's bad, not the kids, after all. Similarly, I may be disappointed by something they've done, but I will never be disappointed in them.

Just one more very fine point you learn in teachers' college. . .

[anidada.livejournal.com]

It seems as though all two-year-olds think they're "you" -- at least, all the ones I've known have had pronoun issues! :)

[velvetpage.livejournal.com]

Another identity issue - she'll think of herself as Bisbet, You, and Tu!

[anidada.livejournal.com]

I hear "Bisbet" as "Kismet", which makes it even cuter (though I worry, too, that the bunny will associate her name with "no" -- that's also probably a common side effect of toddlerhood).

[velvetpage.livejournal.com]

Most likely. Does the bunny do stuff like that?

[jadecat.livejournal.com]

Your post just reminded me of two things- a pair of toddler twins one with the t-shirt "I think my namy is no-no" and the other with "If I'm quiet, you'd better find me!"

And the fact that for a while my friend's dog was "Sheeno-no-bad-dog" more as a joke than anything.'

(I have no kids, I just have pets to talk about. ;) A point that's been firmly ingrained the past few days as ALL my co-workers have been talking about thier kids of varying ages going back to school)

[velvetpage.livejournal.com]

Feeling a little too kidless at the moment?

Does it help to know most of your co-workers can't wait to get back to a routine that has their kids out of the house, somewhere they don't have to pay for them to be? The ones who don't work full-time are probably planning a "happy first day of school" party with other parents, to begin as soon as the schoolbus is out of sight. :)

[sashegrey.livejournal.com]

Yeah, ya caught me. Though, I still feel too selfish to want a baby right now (and too insuranceless and too broke... I know you 'never have enough money' to have a baby- but I'm WAY broke.) anyway...

Well, as far as the 'happy school is back' one co-worker actually had her 7 year old in summer school, but has a sitter come over everyday to watch the younger kids- so there wasn't an additional expense, per se, to having the elder girl home. One has her parents watch the kids- so no daycare costs there, and the other have kids old enough to be home alone with out need for sitters, so no cost there. Eh, just not getting enough sleep on this end and getting melancholy.

[velvetpage.livejournal.com]

It will be time for kids soon enough. They are not something to be rushed.

I was feeling some serious baby-angst for several years before Elizabeth, brought on mostly by the baby boom at my church, which included two of my cousins having kids. But we stuck to our timeline - wedding, career, house, baby - and it worked out. And you're right - there's never enough money to have a baby, but you want at least a bit of financial security and health care before you do. (In Canada, of course, that's not an issue. Yay for universal health care!)