On Different Pages

I am most definitely guilty of making incorrect assumptions regarding my grandchildren understanding my comments. I believe that most folks are accustom to using colloquialisms when engaged in informal conversations. The problem arises when the conversation occurs between grandparent and grandkids given the generational gap.

Let me elaborate on this premise by offering 'some' words that have suggested romantic-courtships through the years. When I was a teenager my friends spoke of a sweetheart-couple 'making-out,' which meant they were perhaps involved in passionate kissing and/or touching. My parents' generation used different terms identifying the same romance activities; 'spooning or necking.' I would never use the terms 'making-out,' 'spooning' or 'necking' in a conversation with the grandchildren; they would be puzzled and think that I have gone-off the edge. In fact, I have no clue what term(s) the 'now' crowd might be using (today) to describe the aforementioned expressions of love-explorations. I wish not and need not have this 'current' vocabulary information. Let me conclude my point-making with this illustration: If I said, "She got a peck," you might inquire; did she get a kiss, or perhaps a piercing blow from a bird's beak? On the other hand, she may have gotten eight (8) quarts of beer. Well, you get my 'drift'> as in meaning; NOT floating.

Some time ago, I was visiting my son and daughter-in law. Their triplet boys were in the living room with us and we were talking baseball. I made a comment that some baseball player had seven 'dingers.' The word 'dingers' is one of those baseball colloquialisms (from my day), which  means home runs. Thus I was telling these people from two different generations that this particular  player had hit seven home runs.

I was dumbfounded, to say the least, when every person paused with a shocked look and then broke into hysterical laughter. My eleven-year old triplet grandsons fell to floor with uncontrollable laughing while my daughter-in law displayed an embarrassed giggle as she questioned the notion saying repeatedly, "No Way, No Way!! I'll be damned, I quickly discovered that their family refers to the boys' penises as 'dingers!' I suppose my children and grandchildren found great humor envisioning a baseball player sporting seven (7) penises and perhaps still able to run the bases.

These days, I try to limit my conversations with grandkids and I will never fall victim to 'texting' with them!