When our kids start talking, we as moms get so excited with all the new words they learn. I admit that even now, at nearly 5 years old, I crack up when I hear Fuss say something that is grammatically correct, but just sounds to grownup for him to be saying. So, I wonder how our moms and English teachers feel knowing that all of the wonderful words and grammar and punctuation they taught us has been tossed out the window. Using myself as an example, when I was in my 20's, I know I would say such correct things as, "Excuse me. I need to use the restroom." That has now been exchanged in my everyday life for, "Seriously! Can I not even go potty in peace?!" Yes, I used to use the restroom. Now I go potty, just like when I was 5. I also used to drink chocolate milk, but now I occasionally have a glass of "choca mil." I used to take a bath, and now every once in a while I able to sneak away to have a "baffie." I know as a mother that I should be teaching Fuss to enunciate his letters and complete his words, but some of these things keep him small to me, and I like that. So I regress to hold onto the moment.
I kinda (yes, kinda...not kind of) think there is no point in teaching him correctly because network socializing has destroyed the English language as we used to know it. Warning: I am about to express my opinion, so please do not get offended. I am speaking in general and do have any one particular person in mind while writing this! With that said, it drives me crazy that spelling and grammar are completely ignored in this day and age. I have a really hard time with reading messages, or posts, or whatever written form of communication I find, from grown men and women who write phonetically placing several thoughts into one run-on sentence. It drives me even crazier when adults have replaced entire words with one letter or even a number. It drives me crazy when I see posts like "I git to C my friend 2nite. Its bin 4ever!" Really, has it "bin 4ever," has it, or has it "been forever?" I don't even know how to measure how long "ever" is, let alone four of them, or why you were ever in a bin together....seems like it would be a little cramped to me, unless it was a very large bin. I'll admit, I used to write that way too, but I was 13. I also have to admit that I wrote that way in college, but only to irritate another person (I know, I was as shallow then as I am now). We had a whiteboard in our apartment for phone messages, "meet on campus" messages, annoy the crap out of your roommate messages, you know the typical. One day someone, maybe me or not, I don't remember, wrote "M R Spiders. M R Not. S A R. C D E D B D I's. O My L, M R Spiders." on the board. The owner of the board was so mad that someone had written "L" on her board that she erased it and wrote a reprimanding note letting everyone know that such inappropriate words like "L" were not to be written on the board! As such, the letter "L" was never again written on the board. All messages that should have an "L" in them were left with just blanks, such as a message for someone named Jill to call someone name Alan, would have looked like this: "Ji , A an ca ed. P ease ca him back as soon as possib e." I thought it was funny, but never again did I use a letter in place of a word...
Now, I am not judging those who still do! Really, I'm not, because for all I know, these people may be trying to stay connected to their teenagers the same way I do with Fuss when I help him put his shoes on his "feeties."
There is just one more thing that really, truly, more than anything else, gets me about written language in texts or on the internet; it is the assumption that people can say whatever they want to anyone else...as long as it is followed by an emotioncon, lol, or haha. When I was a kid, I would never have dared to write my friend a note with negative comments about her personality, looks, intelligence, anything. It would have hurt her feelings and if I felt that way, why would I have been friends with her. Yet today, it is socially acceptable for kids to post things like, "U R so dum! Haha." or "U r a big fat witch! lol!" and it's okay because it is followed by "lol" and "haha" so no offense can be taken?! Sorry, but I think I would still take offense not only because I was called a fat witch, but also because they think its funny that I'm a fat witch, which no one would dare to say to my face, except my sister. We actually make fun of this concept, but only with each other, and only to each others' faces. She can tell me things like, "You're retarded! L-O-L!" or "You Wish you could be like me! Smiley face!" I may even be able to handle it written from her because least I know that if she would have written it out, she would have used actual words, not just letters. Honestly, I'm kind of afraid for English teachers of the future.
Now, I will hop off my soap box (which I really wish you could see the visual of me "hopping" off of anything cause you really would LOL)! Fuss is getting dressed and I'm going to go poke him in the "belly hole." That's right, no bellybuttons in this house...at least until he's older!
