My two-year-old granddaughter Violet pronounces “neck” and “snack” the same way - “nack” - or at least that is the way it sounds to her hard-of-hearing “ahhpa” - me, her grandfather.
Yesterday I went to get her up from an afternoon nap. As I always do, I ask her if she would like a snack when we go downstairs. She almost always responds “Bi-dot nack,” while touching her hand to her chest once or twice. That is Violet-speak for “Violet snack.” But first we had to find her socks which had mysteriously gone missing while she was napping.
I asked her to help.
“Violet, where are your socks? Did you leave them downstairs? Are they in the crib? Are they underneath the crib? Did mum-mum (her grandmother) take them off you? Did Elmo eat them? Grandpa is silly.”
And, yes, I have an annoying habit of asking questions in rapid-fire fashion without pausing for a breath and giving people a chance to respond. It is not just children who are the victims of this.
Violet just turned to me and said, “Bi-dot nack” while touching her hand to her chest.
I said, “Yes, Violet, we will get a snack when we go downstairs, but we have to find your socks first. Help me look.”
She looked at me again with a serious look on her face and stated emphatically, “Bi-dot nack” while once again touching her hand to her chest.
I again repeated, “We have to find your socks first. Let’s look under the crib.” I even shouted downstairs to her mother and grandmother, “Do you people know what happened to Violet’s socks?” They told me to look under the crib.
After a few more exchanges of “Bi-dot nack” hand touched to chest and grandpa repeating “YES WE WILL GET A SNACK, BUT WE HAVE TO FIND YOUR SOCKS FIRST,” Violet looked at me and said “AhhhPaaaa, NACK!” and put her hand to her chest and left it there.
I put my hand on her hand and felt a lump. I pulled her shirt open and Lo and Behold, there were Violet’s socks - insider her shirt by her neck!
I said, “THERE are your socks. Thank you for telling me.”
Violet turned to me and said “That’s funny.”
Grand parenting. Best thing ever.
