Language arts

Jeff had to cover a basketball game last night, so Biscuit and I met one of my friends out for dinner.

I can't remember what started us on the conversation, but my friend and I were talking about how little kids take everything you say literally, mostly because they don't know the colloquialisms or adages we use.

Tonight at dinner, I was trying to prompt Biscuit to tell Jeff what we did last night, and this conversation happened:

Me: "Tell Daddy what we did last night. Who did we hang out with?"

Biscuit: "Hang out coat, Daddy."

Me: "Yeah, we put up your coat, but who did we hang out with last night?"

Biscuit: "We hang out coat, Daddy."

He heard the word "hang," and he couldn't get past the literal meaning.

Last night after we got home, I wanted to help Biscuit blow his nose. "Biscuit, can you get me a Kleenex, so we can blow your nose?" The box of tissues was on the table behind him.

Biscuit looked around, threw up his hands and said, "Don't see them, Mom."

"Turn around and you'll see them," I said. Biscuit then spun all the way around until he was facing me again and said, "Don't see them, Mom."

I said "turn around," and he did ... ALL the way around.

Of course, Jeff is just as bad sometimes, and he doesn't have toddlerhood as an excuse.

He came in the house the other day holding his arm. I asked him what was wrong, and he said he rapped his elbow (that's Jeff speak for he banged his elbow!).

"Where?" I asked him.

"Right here," he said, pointing to a spot on his arm.

"Where did you hit it?" I asked.

"RIGHT HERE," he said, making a bigger gesture to the spot on his arm.

He still didn't get that I was asking what he had hit his elbow on.

Now that I think about it, maybe it's just a male thing.