Kid-isms

One of the joys of kids is their fresh approach to language. Sometimes through their ignorance of the finer points of usage, they make ordinary language dance and shout and sing again, bringing to our attention the conventions and clichés that are such an integral part of our world that frequently we don’t even notice them. W, for example, uses a regular conjugation for the conjunction “won’t,” saying “I willn’t.” A number of years ago R tended to conflate two interjections to make an even more powerful one. Though he has long stopped saying it, I still use “Holy Smokes Cow!” for moments of awe and great enthusiasm.