Commentary: It’s the little things

I always wanted to be a mom one day. I now have three children younger than 5 years old, and motherhood has brought about some unexpected little joys. I’ve come to appreciate more of the small stuff.

One of those little things is the way my children will mispronounce something, or call something by the wrong name. It can be so dang cute or funny, you wouldn’t dare correct them. When that happens, the mispronounced or wrongly-named item earns itself a place in our family.

My son, Leroy, is 4½ — he’s the oldest — so, of course, most of these words come from him. A few of my favorites are:

• Preppy-oni (instead of pepperoni). Pizza will never be the same.
• Butter cheese. It’s really just butter, but not according to him.
• For the longest time, Leroy couldn’t say Plankton, a character from the TV show “Spongebob Squarepants.” He’d call him Milton instead. That is now our kitten’s name.
• Leroy is lovingly nicknamed Royroy, thanks to his cousin who is the same age and couldn’t pronounce Leroy when they were first learning to talk. They now both know his name is Leroy and can pronounce it, but Royroy still gets used daily.
• And I have to include a recent one from my 2½-year-old, Kasper. The other day, I accidentally stepped on her little pinky toe. She screamed and said, “Ow, my tiny leg!” So, for now, toes are tiny legs in this house.

It will be a sad day when the kids grow out of these little quirks, but I know there will be other parenting moments to enjoy, and we’ll always have the memories.

What are some words or phrases the children in your life have mispronounced or misnamed that are now a staple in your household? We’ll publish some examples from readers in a future issue of Inland 360. Send yours to arts@inland360.com or Inland 360, P.O. Box 957, Lewiston, ID 83501.

Marshall is the production editor of Inland 360. She’s a busy mom of little kids, loves horses and playing outside. She can be contacted at dmarshall@lmtribune.com.