Richard's Nickname

My son Benji has always been very verbal, able to repeat most of the words he hears, putting together complete sentences at a very young age. I've always been quite proud of his 3-yr-old vocabulary. For the past 2-3 months, however, he's begun to experiment with sounds and words. I think he makes up new words just to see how they sound. For example, instead of "Yes, ma'am" he'll say "Yes, Tonk!". Instead of asking for a cup of milk, "Mommy I want a cup of Choonk!" Maybe he's reverting to "baby talk" in order to compete with his little sister for attention from Mom and Dad. Whatever his reasons may be, this is the background that leads us to today's post.

Benji and I were driving down the road a few weeks ago when he "discovered" a new word. Fortunately he chose this moment rather than trying it in a crowded store. He found a towel in the back seat, pulled it across his car seat, and yelled "Mommy I got my (Richard's nickname)!!!" And if you need me to explain what he actually said (what Richard's nickname is), don't bother reading the rest of this post. I simply cannot write it! Just use your imagination, it'll come to you. Anyway, he's steadily yelling out "Mommy, I got my (Richard's nickname)!!! I GOTTA RICHARD'S NICKNAME, MOMMY!!! RICHARD'S NICKNAME!!! RICHARD'S NICKNAME!!!! NICKETY-NICK-NICK-NICKNAME!!!!"

Can I tell you again how GRATEFUL I am that he did this in the safety of our car and NOT IN PUBLIC. And you know, if you laugh, he'll just keep on doing it. So I nearly choked on my laughter that day. For those of you who have kids, I'm sure you've been there. For those of you who may someday have kids.....be prepared. You're time is coming too!