Little pitchers
In our backyard, we have a clematis – a climbing, flowering plant that has flourished this summer. On pleasant evenings, we’d all go into the backyard to chase bunnies, snip aspen shoots, and help the clematis wind itself around the trellis against the fence. Inevitably, Kyle would refer to the clematis as “the chlamydia.” And I would shush him, certain that someday Tacy would erroneously identify a similar flowering plant in someone else’s yard. Someone who might not think it was as funny as we do.
Meanwhile, Tacy has made a friend at kindergarten whose name is Lily. In the front yard, we have a lone lily that springs up after all the tulips and daffodils have croaked for the season. So I pointed out the lily to the girls, and Tacy chimed in, “Like my friend’s name! My friend is named after a flower!”
(You do see where this is going, don’t you?)
Tuesday morning, Tacy was playing with her dolls and narrating the action as usual. In the midst of my typing, I caught this snippet: “What’s your name?” “My name is Chlamydia. What’s yours?”
At least it was only a doll. This time.
August 9th, 2007 at 5:08 am
Too funny! Yesterday on Jeopardy, they had a question about clematis and I started giggling. MrTango asked what was so funny and I explained. He didn’t think it was as funny as I did. I think he and Kyle need to have a chat.
August 9th, 2007 at 5:21 am
Oh LOL! They pick up everything!
When my mom was watching the kids, little P would play and my mom said, “I know everything that happens in your house…”
LOL
August 9th, 2007 at 5:41 am
So hilarious. Thanks for the giggle.
August 9th, 2007 at 5:47 am
August 9th, 2007 at 6:55 am
see, now i snorted coffee.
how, erm, linguistically imaginative? perhaps better to stick with calling things “flower”…which i have no choice in cause i have trouble differentiating between the floral types once we get beyond rose, lily, and pansy. all of which are reasonably safe as names, bless their little hearts.
August 9th, 2007 at 7:50 am
i don’t know my flowers and i had never heard of the clematis. so when i read that word in the first sentence of your post, that’s where my mind went too. maybe there’s an advantage to not knowing the names of your flowers. hehe.
it is a beautiful flower though. and i like how it winds up the trellis.
August 9th, 2007 at 7:59 am
Oh my! I am dreading the day Sam starts repeating things he hears at home. Mostly from dad, but I’m not totally innocent, I must admit. The trouble is, if you laugh at them, they just keep repeating, and I know I’m not going to be able to hold in the giggles when something like this happens to us!
August 9th, 2007 at 8:26 am
bahahahahahahaha.
what’s not so funny? that i used to work with a girl whose cousin really named her daughter “chlamydia.” “cuz it sound purdy.” i swear i’m not making this up. (the co-worker’s name? uneeda. yes, just like “uneeda stop with the godawful baby names.”)
August 9th, 2007 at 9:13 am
LOL! There’s an urban legend about a mom who named her baby Placenta because she heard it in the delivery room.
August 9th, 2007 at 1:25 pm
Oh god… we are totally headed in the same direction aren’t we? That is so freakin’ funny but OMG she is going to pull that one out again just when you least expect it.
August 9th, 2007 at 1:34 pm
That is one for the blackmail list. I love it!
When Meredith, my second, was much younger she used to embarrass us by announcing in public places (like the line at the grocery store) that “Boys have penises and girls have CHINAS!”
That goes over well, I assure you.
August 9th, 2007 at 5:29 pm
And if this were me, my daughter would have announced to her entire class that from now on she would like to be known as “Chlamydia” because her mom likes that name.
Very funny! (Just wait! Better watch it!)
August 9th, 2007 at 6:00 pm
My dh calls the clematis in our yard “Clitoris”. I’m not sure which is worse?
August 9th, 2007 at 6:11 pm
Beautiful “chlamydia” you got there.
My son had a little playdate over a few months ago… She wanted to be Ariel and he was to be Eric.
He kept calling her “Areola”. She didn’t seem to mind….
August 9th, 2007 at 7:43 pm
And we would jokingly call our clematis plant a cli-TOR-is until our late talker daughter (we thought it was safe to say anything around her) suddenly was able to identify the plant, clearly. This was 35 years ago and I’m trying not to repeat my early mistakes with my granddaughters!
August 9th, 2007 at 8:18 pm
This is why I should have denied my former speech delayed toddler speech therapy.
August 9th, 2007 at 9:36 pm
I am ashamed to admit this, but I always almost say “clitoris” when I am trying to say “clematis.”
I don’t do it on purpose. My mind just goes there all on its own.
August 9th, 2007 at 9:37 pm
And i just noticed Lin said the same thing!
Thank God I am not alone in my perversion!
August 10th, 2007 at 6:02 am
OMG, that is great!
August 10th, 2007 at 9:30 am
Too funny! And here Bossy thought you were just trying to brag about your hot red Clematis.
August 10th, 2007 at 6:11 pm
Sssh… don’t tell anybody… but I referred to clematis as chlamydia for years. As an adult.