Use your words

After rereading my last post I was painfully aware of the fact that I used the word "cute" no less than five times. Five times! True, it was used in reference to my daughter and her various hair styles, but over used nonetheless. At the very least I could have substituted "adorable", "pretty", and maybe even "attractive" for the word cute. I could have gone as far as to use "fetching", "precious", or "delightful" instead.

(Okay, maybe not delightful. I never use the word delightful without a touch of irony or sarcasm. I mean, c'mon. Delightful? Pssh. Can anyone who isn't over the age of 65 with a British accent use that word without a wink and a smile?)

But I didn't use any of those words. I used "cute". I used "cute" five times. I will now flog myself with a large, hardcover thesaurus.

I'd like to use the excuse of it was late and I was tired. I could even go as far as to blame my oversight on a loss of brain cells after childbirth, but Chicky Baby is 16 months old and that excuse is wearing a little thin. I don't have a good reason why I overused a painfully cliche word while telling a story about a toddler and I am very disappointed with myself.

Because I love words.

I love to use the word "perhaps" when I could just as easily say "maybe" or "fortuitous" when I could have used "fortunate". I love how the words "succulent" and "delectable" feel on my tongue. And words such as "ecstastic", "bliss", "mirth" and "jubilant" make me, well, they make me really happy. Or maybe I should say "convivial".

I enjoy words that when said bring to mind the thought of something completely different than the intended definition. Like 'acquiesce', for instance. When I think of the word I imagine crisp, icy water from a spring when I know it actually means "To consent or comply passively or without protest." Although, I am equally fond of words that sound exactly how the mean: 'Calm' is such a peaceful word, invoking images of soft, white clouds and warm breezes and 'Ruckus' is so rowdy and ready for a fight.

These days my hours are filled with phrases like "That's a cat. Kuh-ah-tuh. The cat says meow," to my daughter who has little desire at this time to use her words. That's not to say that I talk down to her. To help her give meaning to her burgeoning store of emotions I don't just tell her that it's okay to get mad sometimes, I tell her that it's okay to be "angry" and "frustrated". But she is 16 months so my daily working vocabulary is full of descriptive words like 'yellow', and 'big', and 'square'.

And speaking of work, my time at work is spent teaching people to strip their language down to the simplest of terms when training their dogs. Don't tell your dog to 'sit down', I instruct them. That's two separate commands and your dog is confused by what you want from them. Do you want them to 'sit' or 'down'? Keep it simple and to the point. Consequently I find myself speaking in simple terms to the owners. "Yes! You're doing a good job with your pet. Keep up the good work." Lots of positive, simple words. Good. Yes. Nice. It's not all that different from my other, full-time job: dealing with a toddler.

So maybe (perhaps) I've become a bit complacent in the vocabulary department. I don't spend my days talking with adults, using adult words. If the tv is on in my home during daylight hours it's usually tuned to Sesame Street and though my Spanish is getting much better (I have no ear for languages) it's not helping to remind me to work "sesquipedalian" into conversation.

All this drivel was to apologize (mainly to myself if you want to know the truth) for overusing the word "cute". I'll have to add that to my short list of words that I try not to use in conversation, like "nice", "delightful", "perm" and "George W. Bush". Which means that I'll soon run out of words to describe my kid because, let's face it, I think she's pretty cute precious.

What's the word for a woman who thinks the moon rises and sets over her child and is convinced that toddler is the cutest most beautiful one to ever walk the earth?

Oh, yeah. "Mother".

Don't need a thesaurus for that one.