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Friday, May 20, 2011

Language Barrier

Many of our friends don't have children and some know absolutely nothing about babies.

Their knowledge level is, oh, exactly where mine was until the day Harper was born.

So it's easy for me to remember that they don't know baby lingo. Before I babble on about a Snap-n-Go stroller frame vs. a travel system or say "Bumbo" or try to explain to them why I can't pop by their house and "just let Harper nap in the guest room," I remember that I'm speaking nonsensical gibberish. Harper may as well be explaining it.

So I attach pictures when I talk about baby products, b/c I would have been all, "What the heck is a Bumbo?!" before Harper actually needed one.

And when I tell someone to get Harper a board book for her birthday, I tell them that they're the big thick cardboard kind that don't rip.

B/c what the heck is a "board book" to a non-parent?!

I have never, ever, ever judged people because they don't know about kid stuff. Or processes. Why would they know? How would they know?

Until today.

Harper and I were in line at a craft store when Harper struck up a conversation with a twentysomething woman waiting behind us. After Harper dazzled her with stories about her purple toenails, white shoes, stickers and crayons (not that the lady had any idea that's what Harper was talking about), she asked, "How old is she?"

"23 months," I replied.

Quizzically, she looked at me and asked, "What does that mean? How old is that in normal people terms?"




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