Wednesday, December 09, 2009

Channelling

According to a survey carried out by The Baby Website, today's mothers use the same old expressions their parents used over and over again. This is true. I have recently caught myself saying:
  • If you don't stop that immediately I'll knock your two heads together.
  • In the name of the wee man!
  • Were you born in a field?
  • Do you think those clothes wash and iron themselves?
  • I'll give you your head in your hands to play with.
  • Oh, oh. here comes trouble.
We are decidedly not the people our parents warned us against.

[I'm surprised by how aggressive some of these expressions sound when written down. I do say loving things to them too on occasion]

6 comments:

Ms Mac said...

My grandma used "In the name of the wee man!" all the time.

The born in a field one is one of my most frequent. Seriously, why can't they close a door?

Ms Mac said...

Oh, and I just looked at the top 20 properly. Because I said so, You'll have someone's eye out and It'll end in tears- probably my top 3.

nmj said...

These make me smile. Nothing really changes. Last time I was with my nephews trying to get them to sleep, they were giddy & hyper, I kept saying Wheesht to them - they don't live in Scotland and were just laughing hysterically, saying 'what's wheesht?!'

materfamilias said...

One that doesn't get 'round here (west coast of Canada)anymore, but that I used to say occasionally, echoing my parents, is "Who's she? The cat's mother?" -- so I'm tickled to see it on your list. I was beginning to think it was our own little peculiarity, and we already have enough of those!

Lesley said...

Ms Mac: Another one I'm fond of is : If your brother told you to go and jump in a lake, would you do that?" And the always useful, "Two wrongs don't make a right".

Nmj: Yes, my colleagues laugh when I say wheesht. Good job I don't say "Hud yer wheesht"!

Materfamilias: I received a survey by e-mail a few years ago on that very expression. I think it came from a research establishment trying to find out the exact context in which it is used, where it came from and how it spread across the world.

Ms Mac said...

I do say "Hud yer wheesht!" The boys take the mickey out of me every time.

Confinement

Being confined indoors most of the day, just the four of us, is reminding me of the days when my children were wee and most of our weekends ...