M.I.L.K

One of the things that used to annoy me as a child was the way my parents spelt words out to each other.  Once I was old enough to know what the words were I would quickly work it out and tell them I understood.

I was slightly foxed when my mum and dad were one day talking about getting the car MOT'd.  Try as I might I couldn't work out what motting the car meant and why I couldn't know about it.

I remembered this today, as I said to my husband

"If you're going to the S.H.O.P can you please pick up some M.I.L.K and some H.A.M for the girls"

Needless to say little miss bright spark said:

"What you getting for me and Tilly Daddy?  Can I come?"

Spelling words out only really works if you do it for absolutely EVERYTHING connected to the subject you don't want them to hear.  As soon as I mention 'girls' she knows it's about her.  Silly Mummy.

I find myself increasingly speaking to other people in letters too.  I told a bewildered friend at the weekend that I'd be bypassing the B.A.T.H tonight because I simply couldn't be bothered.  My Dad too frequently gets the letter treatment and fortunately stops himself saying the word out loud, just in time.

My husband on the other hand, has been known to get this wrong.  I'll say:

"Please can you get me a D.U.M.M.Y for Tilly, she's going to bed now"

Only to have him look blankly at me, crank the cogs up in his brain and then say to all the world.

"Dummy!"

And you can imagine what happens next.  I then spend the next hour negotiating with a tired toddler over why she can't have a dummy because dummies are for Tilly, who's a baby and not for big girls like Eliza.

He's the most wonderful Dad but sometimes I wish he'd keep his mouth shut!

ps: this picture is here, simply because it's rather sweet.  Eliza very much likes feeding her baby sister her M.I.L.K.