Friday, November 12, 2010

Decoder Ring - Part 2

If you missed my last post, click here and read it first.....

Caught up?!  Ok. 
I missed one very important phrase my 5 year old daughter, Krystin, uses.
She made this phrase up a couple years ago and it has stuck around.

She calls me
"MA-ma-Mi-mi-MOO-moo-CEreal-box"

There is plenty in that phrase I could take offense at,
1) My name is not Mama Mimi!
2) What woman likes to be compared to a cow?  Ever.
3) A box-like figure isn't that attractive, either, is it now?

But what if I examine the context in which Krystin calls me that?
1) Perhaps in her at-the-time 3 year old brain she was actually thinking "Mama and Me"?
2) She calls me this at night when I tuck her in, or while she is snuggling up to me.
3) Cereal is her absolute favorite food.

When I consider her motives and choose to dwell on the positive possibilities of what she means, the phrase doesn't bother me anymore..... I actually like it.

I think I'll try and keep that in mind with other people, too.
Remember that the first possible negative meaning of what they just said or did might not be what they intended.  Their heart might be in the right place.  I just have to get out my decoder ring.

The decoder ring found in a cereal box......
Which reminds me that even though I love Krystin's phrase,
when Krystin says it.....

Don't you ever call me a cow or cereal box.
I will assume the worst  :)

My Little "Scootles" (AKA - Krystin)
(Oh, did I not mention I use made-up words, too?!)  ;)
Photo courtesy of Kari Masson

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