chicken-bock

I remember when I was growing up it would drive my mom crazy when my siblings and I would start talking like our friends - using not only their phrases, but also their speech patterns and inflections. It seems harmless enough... until it's your kid who's talking to you in someone else's voice.

Recently Jemma has started bringing some of her friends' way of talking home with her. And unfortunately this way of talking has an accompanying attitude... There's a way they have of speaking that's an especially maddening nasal, drawn out, sing-song that is invariably rude. When Jemma does it I'm tempted to mimic her to show her how bad it sounds.

But that's not very effective (and not nice.) And I wanted to make her part of the solution. I figured we needed a shorthand reference for this new habit that was driving me bananas, so I asked her, "What can we call it when you talk like that - so you'll know what I mean without me imitating it?"

She thought for a minute and then responded, "chicken-bock."

Since then, we've referred to it that way - and miraculously, by giving it a name, we've been able to stop the rudeness.

Apparently it works both ways...

The other night, when I was frustrated, I told Jemma to 'go to bed' in a stronger tone than I would have mindfully used, and she turned to me and said gently, "Mommy, you're using 'chicken-bock'."