Pee-in-my-pants Parenting

So I was thinking about blogging about this…but then thought I better not…but a good friend said I should, so it is HIS fault if you are offended!

So Eddie, our dog, has this stuffed Octopus. It’s small and pink and has a little squeaker. I picked up one at Target for $1 and he liked it so much that I went back and got 4 more after I had to sew up the seems once. Eddie LOVES his little octopus! You squeak it from the other room and Eddie is sure to come running! He's a chihuahua, so to find a toy that was just his size was hard. The octopus is perfect! And he REALLY loves it!

So here’s the deal…when you play with your dog you kinda use “baby talk” and so one day I was talking to Eddie and playing and saying “Hey, Eddie come get your Octopus…get your Octopussy.” Well, the kids heard it. Liked it. And for the past few weeks have been calling Eddie’s toy “Pussy”. What is it about that word that kids so enjoy?

Being the bad parents we are. Jay and I just laughed whenever they said it…it was just so hilariously cute. They liked the word and had NO IDEA of it's other connotations. (I felt like we were a couple of Jr. High boys cracking jokes in the locker room during gym class.) And besides, our kids are home-schooled…so what harm could be done? They are never around other kids to corrupt unknowingly! Well, yesterday my mom was over and it was ALL THINGS PUSSY! I died! “Eddie, get your pussy!” “Pussy! Pussy! Pussy!” “Eddie, jump for your pussy!” “Squeaky pussy!” “Big pussy!”

Again…hilarious…but mortifying in front of the mother!

So this morning I had to have “the talk” with them to tell them they couldn’t call him "Pussy" any more. His new name was “Octy”…frankly they could call it anything other than “pussy!” They didn’t understand why, so I had to pull the parent card and say “because I said so”…still didn’t work…so I told them it was “kinda a bad word”…

Well, we’ll see where they take that one! YIKES!!! I’m worried!

I mean for a kid it makes sense "Bunny's" nickname is "Bun"..."Monkey's" nickname is "Monk"...So why can't "Octapus" be called "Puss"...or "Pussy" as it were.

So here I am parenting and protecting...setting the standard but trying not to divulge too much information.

I still remember sitting in class in grade school the day we were going to read the story "Puss in Boots" (classic, right?) and some boys were snickering, kids were laughing and the teacher started scolding. For years, I could never understand what was so funny and I never seemed to get the joke.

Hopefully, I can get by with my kids just thinking that it is a funny sounding name and not learn the "alternative meaning" until much later on...still, it makes for interesting parenting.