What a woozle...

I promised the 'Woozle' story later, so here it is. Well it's not so much a story... it's more of an anecdote. Perhaps a cautionary tale. Because now we have a new word for our language o' Linson.

A few months ago, my 3 were big into calling each other 'loser'. Real nice, huh?

"Last one up the stairs is a loser!"
"Last one finished is a loser!"
"Awww, you lost this game of Candyland. Don't be sad... you're just a loser!"

Of course, it was pronounced... "LOOOOO-ZZERRRR", and was followed by shrieking and a general melee to not be the LOOOOO-ZZERRR.

I was fed up. With the word, the usage, and the tears which resulted from being the unfortunate loser.

So in frustration, I banned the word, 'loser' from our our house. Drastic measures, maybe, for a word that is not typically considered a curse... you know, like the dreaded "S" word (which is... gulp... 'stupid'!)

Admit it, though... you've probably done it, too. There is some word or phrase in your home that sends you over the edge. That particular word that makes you cringe, and makes you think that if you hear it ONE MORE TIME, everyone will be banished to their rooms until it is time for them to head off to college. And for me, it was 'loser'.

No problem, right? Until one day I heard Davis call Libby a loser again.

Me: "Davis, what is the rule?! You know I don't like that word!"

Davis: "I didn't say 'loser'!"

Me: "I heard you..."

Davis (thinking hard... you can tell because his eyes look up to the left.): "Mom, I didn't say 'loser', I called her a... um... a woozle."

Me: "A woozle?"

Davis: "Yeah. That's not a bad word!"

Me: "And a woozle is...?"

Josie (piping in. Funny how she picks this moment for solidarity): "Yeah, a woozle, you can imagine, is something like a weasel."

Um, thank you, Professor Invent-a-Word. So even though the spirit of the thing is the same as saying, 'loser', I felt a little silly telling the kids that they couldn't call each other a woozle.

Can't you just picture it? We'll be at the park,and Libby will stomp over in tears, reporting that her brother called her the 'W' word. All those stay at home mommies will be spinning through their 'naughty word Rolodex' for the 'W' word, wondering what the hell is going on in the Linson house, and what the heck I'm teaching these kids.

Because sometimes, when it comes to controlling what comes out of my kids' mouths, turns out I can be a total woozle.