Nincompoop

No parent has a child and thinks, "I'll let them use whatever language they want." Nooooooo. Of course not. That would be "bad parenting." David and I subscribe to the "good parenting" motto and don't allow our children to use crude language. Absolutely no potty talk. We have a zero tolerance policy, and we strictly enforce it. The kids know that bathroom humor will land them in a time out. But I've noticed a flaw in this well-constructed discipline method. By making certain words "unspeakable" we've upped that humor factor at the same time we're trying to discourage this behavior. Just knowing you're not supposed to use a certain word makes it so much funnier when and if you do hear it. The chortles and snorts, guffaws and snickers that ensued when Carver saw the book "Walter the Farting Dog" at Barnes and Noble were really so unnecessary, in my opinion.

Yesterday I was reading a book to Zinabu. It was about a cat that has a secret dream to be a super-hero. The poor cat, in his exuberance, dug up his owner's perfectly planted garden, and the owner thus called him a nincompoop. When Zinabu heard this he about had a seizure he was laughing so hard. He then wanted me to read it again. By the 6th time, I figured I needed to capture his response on video--just for memory's sake. Please note that I am in NO WAY glorifying the word "nincompoop" or Zinabu's laughter at it.

Enough said.