Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Message In a Bottle

It's that time of year. The time of year that there are things that my spouse needs to know without the children over hearing me.

It use to be that we could spell things, but those darn kids keep getting smarter! I remember my parents spelling when we were little to discuss things they didn't want us to overhear at the dinner table. Of course, all that taking us to school and all, started to work against them too. My Dad has a firm grasp of the Spanish language and my mom just enough to look confused when they started trying that route.

So, last night we were trying iron out the details of Wednesday night without the kids finding out I was taking them to Disney On Ice. As we spoke in code I was reminded of being a little kid trying to figure out what it was that my parents didn't want me to know. You know....I'm not really against my kids knowing. However, I am against them asking about it every waking second until the moment arrives. Anyway, I decided that I would tell them we have plans for Wednesday night. They wanted to know exactly what it is we are doing. I said that I wouldn't tell them, but they could guess and I would give them a few hints. Typically all the questions about this would make me crazy, but the guesses are so darn entertaining.

So do you have a special language of your own? How is it working out? Does it leave you looking confused like my mom with Spanish words flying at her or me when my husband tries the "really big words" route? You wishing your kids didn't spell so well? I may be trying the message in a bottle route next.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

With Tails and Trixie it's so hard to pull things over their heads. TNT and I try to spell things out too, but we raised such smart furry children! :)

I remember my Grandma's use to speak German to each other so we wouldn't know what they were talking about. But then they'd use our names. Plus I knew cuss words in German so I knew what they were talking about!

Karen said...

Carrie- you are a crack up! I bet they do know what you are spelling.

orangemily said...

Spelling still works for us!
Maybe I'll have to look in to getting a texting plan when the kids get older. Then rich and I could just text across the kitchen table, lol!

Nancy said...

Yes, I so miss the days when spelling worked. It's a disaster now trying to speak with out them knowing. Pig latin won't work 'cause my kids know it better than Mike!

Jen said...

we can spell right now but the only problem is that I can't spell very well at all so most of the time I just give up spelling and find another way to get my secrets out.

I don't wanna grow up...you can't make me said...

I thought you knew how to text??? Well, there's your answer!!!! Kids can't look at your phones when you're using them!!!!

Salty Incisor said...

I try to be really sneaky and talk code talk but my husband never gets it and he just looks at me like I have 3 heads as I try to circumlocute my way around words they understand to describe the situation, but even he doesn't get it.

Krista said...

We can't get away with anything with my two older kids. The main problem I have is saying certain things around my eight year old that's okay for the older ones, but not for her. I had to spell "P-r-o-c-t-o-l-o-g-i-s-t" out for my son in the car and my husband couldn't figure it out. Every other word I could think of to spell Mimi could figure out, so I had to spell a code word!