Today my son goes to what he calls the “Bodanical” Gardens here in San Francisco. He’s taken a lot of heat for this pronunciation this week, which he now says is how his friends say it. At 8, however, he is at the end of the hilarious mispronunciations of common words. He has corrected “webbins” for weapons and “sahl” for saw and all the rest, sadly. He is still yelling for mom to help him tie his shoes, but now its more a way to get mommy-attention than it is a real babyish need for help.
Even as they are running and yelling through the house and you think you yourself will scream if you can’t get a break, you get reminders at how quickly they grow up. Luckily, most of them want to stay kids for a long time, willing to snuggle in bed or let you help them get dressed. But soon, the noise will be tamed by better manners, self-awareness, or maybe just earphones, and too soon, will be gone entirely.