Naturally born innocent and curious, there’s no limit when it comes to children’s imagination. So, it’s always fascinating to get a glimpse of how little kids perceive the big world they’re in. Likewise, it’s amusing to see how they interpret the things around them in their own creative ways. In fact, these youngsters have recently generated quite a buzz online for their rather brilliant take on random everyday objects.
Parents and guardians took to Twitter to reveal some of the most notable alternative names that children have come up with for a few common things. From calling a secret diary a “secret diarrhea” to referring to Europe as “Syrup,” most of them are misheard or misinterpreted versions of the real thing.
my 4-year-old calls a box of tissues a “bless you box”
— Andrew Knott (@aknott21) May 23, 2021
My three-year-old son just asked me, “Can you take me to the Vampire State Building?”
— Jim Gaffigan (@JimGaffigan) July 16, 2014
My 2 year old son calls the sunroof in the car the sky window and I think the whole word should adopt this
— Dr Lizzi Helsby ? (@Lizzimooneydoc) September 2, 2020
My 4 called trampolines, Jumpolines. It just makes more sense. ????
— Victoria Bond (@battmanbond) May 22, 2021
My three year old calls it ‘this day’ instead of ‘today’ and I shall never correct him. ‘Is it going to be sunny this day?’ ‘What are we playing this day?’. Thinking of adopting it myself.
— Lee Madgwick (@LeeMadgwick) September 1, 2020
4 has been carrying a small notebook around all day. She opens it, writes small scribbles and quickly closes it back up.
She’s calling it her “secret diarrhea” and maybe someday day I’ll correct her, but definitely not today.
— MomTransparenting (@momtransparent1) December 30, 2019
Several adults took to Twitter to reveal some of the wittiest substitute names that kids have come up with for a few common things
my four year old daughter is calling geese “honkeys” and I should probably correct her but I won’t
— That Mom Tho (@mom_tho) August 27, 2020
Last night my kid kept calling my slide sandals my “strap-ons” and I feel bad I couldn’t tell him why I almost wet my pants laughing.
— Emily McCombs (@msemilymccombs) June 14, 2021
3 calls them wish flowers and not dandelions and I’m good with that
— Not Another Pinterest Mom (@snarkymomtobe) June 5, 2021
My daughter calls deodorant “armpit makeup”. You’re welcome.
— Stephen Amell (@StephenAmell) May 29, 2018
My 13 year old: those edibles hit hard last night
Me: OMG do NOT call the children’s melatonin gummies edibles in public please— Jill Krause (@babyrabies) May 19, 2021
We still use the term ‘rainbrella’ in our house even though said son is now in his 30s – it’s perfect!
— Jenny England (@jenv_e) September 2, 2020
My 3yo thinks the Beatles are Paul, George, Pingu and Joe Lemons and he won’t be taking any further questions on this
— MumInBits (@MumInBits) November 14, 2020
my niece is 6 and she hates wearing jeans because she hates the zippers and how they scrunch up. but she doesn’t call them jeans, she calls them “weiner pants” and i wish i didn’t find that out as she yelled it in the store.
— Dadman Walking (@dadmann_walking) July 1, 2021
Last night my 4yo said a prayer for all the people in the world including “Africa, Asia and Syrup.” From now on, I will be referring to Europe only as Syrup.
— mark (@TheCatWhisprer) April 1, 2020
Although most of them were downright hilarious, there were some that actually made more sense than their actual counterparts
My son called his shoe laces, “tyers”. ?? he said “you’re stepping on my tyers” lmaooo. I mean they do get tied ??
— Papolo (@PaperChaser_P) November 20, 2019
“Mommy really likes flash ‘em shows!” She meant fashion—but try explaining that to the skeptical checkout lady.
— Scary Mommy (@ScaryMommy) April 16, 2021
My 4 yo just called skinny dipping, nakedy dipping, and I will never call it anything else.
— Rachel Sobel (@whinecheezits) April 27, 2021
My daughter calls her teeth smile bones ??
— ??? (@_chelseajustine) July 10, 2021
4 year old just said to her stuffed dragon:
“That’s my mom. Her name is Audra but you should just call her Old McDonald”
And honestly she’s absolutely right.
— Audra McDonald (@AudraEqualityMc) March 30, 2021
I’ll told my daughter I ate this type of watermelon as a kid since they didn’t have the round seedless kind and she now calls these “80s watermelons.” ? pic.twitter.com/zw43sd57n1
— Valerie Schremp Hahn ? (@valeriehahn) June 28, 2021
My 11yo calls a porta potty a “portal potty” and every time she says it, I feel like it’s a place where you’d send your nasty into space or something, and I must say, it’s not far off, because every time I use one of those I honestly long to be on another planet.
— No Idea: Daddy Blog (@byclintedwards) June 14, 2021
Apparently, mispronouncing and misinterpreting words is just a normal phenomenon that’s part of every child’s speech development stages
We were all once kids. So, most, if not all, of us also experienced mispronouncing words at some point. Similarly, we’re guilty of substituting sounds and even leaving out some of them to make it easier for us to pronounce certain words. And when we look back at those instances, chances are we’ll cringe and feel ashamed of our younger selves. But apparently, there’s no reason for us to feel this way. All these instances are part of every child’s speech development stages.
When my guy was 3 he named coffee grounds “bean dirt”
— hael swerc (@SativieNicks) May 22, 2021
I’m not saying DON’T teach your kids proper terminologies but I AM saying that mine called a “force field” a “horse field” for about a year and that was the best year of my life
— Deena Lang (@itsdeenalang) June 8, 2021
My 7yo calls her gloves “finger mittens” and now I will never, ever call them anything else.
— Goldfish and Chicken Nuggets (@gfishandnuggets) March 30, 2021
5: mom can i have a lemon tongue?
me: wut
5: for a snack?
me:
5: a baby orange!
me: omg. yes, you may have a clementine ?
— That Mom Tho (@mom_tho) July 1, 2021
My son has always called pads “mini diapers for big girls.” (big girls = women). I cannot bring myself to correct him and explain to him their purpose yet, so I just laugh and play along, ??
— brittany ??? (@gingernightowl) May 29, 2018
On average, most kids will naturally overcome these speech sound errors by the age of 7
In fact, studies have shown that most children will have no problem saying all speech sounds correctly by the age of 7. However, do note that speech and language development levels vary per child, so it’s important to exercise patience and understanding. Sure, we often find it cute when kids say or pronounce words incorrectly. But as adults, we must also take it upon ourselves to correct them nicely.
My 5-year-old calls green Jolly Ranchers “lightsaber flavor.”
At least she’s on the Light Side.
— James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn (@XplodingUnicorn) October 18, 2017
Today’s sign you have a pandemic kid: my 2yo daughter calls lotion “face sanitizer.”
— Ted Flynn (@TedFlynn) July 13, 2021
My daughter calls Boss Baby, “A Baby Called Boss” which strikes me as the Boss Baby’s dark autobiography where he looks back at how his life was ravaged by capitalism.
— Yuri Baranovsky (@YuriBaranovsky) July 10, 2021
3: Mama, can I have some cockamole?
Guacamole, she wants guacamole.
— ???’? ??? ?? ????? (@Mamaoutoforder) May 25, 2021
9 y/o says what she misses most about going to movies is getting snacks from the “confession” stand so when we do go again, I’ll be paying a lot more attention when she places her order.
— NicholasG (@Dad_At_Law) June 8, 2021
?? My friend called the sun “hot ball” and I called the freezer an “ice cupboard” ?
— Melody (@melodyong123) May 29, 2018
4 calls badminton rackets “ball trampolines” and 4 year olds should name everything.
— Marissa ? (@michimama75) May 22, 2021
However, as adults, it’s also our responsibility to correct them without discouraging them from further communication
Whenever you hear them say a word incorrectly, correct them and say the word in the right way. As much as possible, try to get them to repeat the word correctly without forcing them. Otherwise, they might feel embarrassed and even discouraged to speak their minds. Keep in mind as well that children can be sensitive to criticism, so be sure to use a gentle tone of voice when correcting them. Experts also recommend using positive reinforcements to encourage children to practice their communication skills further.
My sons call a fart an invisible turd pic.twitter.com/VrKCU6GNnP
— Lucias Bloodsworn (@L_Bloodsworn) May 29, 2018
And my kid calls a butt a “Poop Cavity”. You’re welcome.
— Hammer (@HammerJoeBrooks) May 29, 2018
Our youngest did this when he was 3/4. And if he was thinking of something that happened yesterday it was ‘before this day’.
— Nick Morrison (@nsdmorrison) September 1, 2020
We have ‘arm ankles’ for wrists in our house and the well known vegetable Cucacumber from our youngest.
— Miranda Williams (@M_Williams07) September 3, 2020
My daughter used to call speed limit signs speed lemon signs
— Anne Talbert Gower (@GowerTalbert) May 29, 2018
Feature image: Flickr