One of the ways The Big M and I amuse ourselves is by talking in code when we need to discuss things in front of the kids that we don’t want them to understand. We don’t speak a mutual foreign language, so that’s out. The Boy can spell now, so spelling things is out. He’s even got Op Talk** down, a special spelling language that my in-laws introduced me to. We are therefore forced to be creative.
The Big M is the master of this — he can create the oral version of rebus puzzles on the fly. See if you can figure this one out:
TBM: You know what the Magi were famous for? I’m thinking that for the upcoming anniversary we could get that thing that Marty McFly broke in Back to the Future.
Me: You mean the unbroken version of that thing?
TBM: Yes.
Figure it out yet?
The Boy turns eight next month. The Big M was suggesting we get him a scooter as his birthday present.
Pretty cool, huh?
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**In Op Talk, every consonant in a spelled-out word is followed by the “op” sound, while every vowel is spoken as-is. So to spell “man,” one would say, “Mop-A-Nop.” This is a very effective way to mask what you’re spelling unless you’re dumb enough to explain how it works in front of your seven-year-old son.
Categories: The Kids
Flabby Brain 