THE DICTIONARY

Dear Loyal Readers,


I have been in a writer's slump lately.  Too busy to do anything more than some photos and a few comments on our adventures.  But today, yes just this morning, I have been inspired!  


Did you know there is a whole new philosophy in education regarding good old fashioned grammar and spelling?  I recently had a conversation with someone in the field of education who said,  "We are really rethinking the need for rote memorization in our world of laptops and spellcheck..."


Really?


I personally think my children should know how to spell and how to write legibly.  With a pencil!  I also think they should look up a word.  In a dictionary.  The kind with a cover and 1500+ pages inside.


So imagine my delight and pride this morning when my oldest reached for a dictionary.  I was packing lunches and listening to the morning chatter over breakfast.  


First, they looked up "crap" - a word that apparently flies around school with regularity.
They decided that it was pretty funny that there are so many words in the English language for poop.


Then we moved onto the word "sex".  Now here is a word I know they have heard, but don't understand the complexity of.  The first comment was hard to understand through the fit of giggles but I think I made out "I actually found it!"  


Then in a mature voice of wisdom I heard - 
"I already know what that means.  Duh!  It means marriage."


To my great relief we did not spend much time on the actual definition; it was too long to bother reading but my oldest did discover that  the word "sex" is so important it makes new words.  Words that fill a whole page of the dictionary.  Words that are just fun to say.  Out loud.  While giggling so much you choke on your toast.
Here are some of the favorites:  sex appeal, sex gland, sexism, sexless, sextant, sextuplet, sexual, sexuality, sexualize, sexy...

And my personal favorite "sexpot", which is one of the guide words right at the top of the page.  From the other room I hear a female voice say in a confused tone "What is a sexpot anyway?  That sounds weird!"


I didn't get too involved in their conversation because I might start giggling myself, but decided the fun should end when I began to imagine what other words we might look up!  


My children are such intellectuals.