You are here

Baby Talk...

smallfry83's picture

SS4 is with BM for 9 days and us for 5 days at a time. When he comes to us, EVERYTHING that comes out of his mouth is baby-talk. Not like a normal 4yr old, but how someone talks to a child between newborn and 2yrs old. He's just recently started this. After the first day and a half with us, he will stop (after being reminded over and over that he is a big boy, and big boys don't talk like babies).
I promise, I am not exagerating, we get 3 miles from BMs house when taking him back and he starts the baby talk again.
This is so frustrating because BM and her new hubby are expecting a new baby in a few months and I know it's going to get worse. She thinks it's "cute."
He used to say "pasketti" and "MissDonald's" because "Mommy says it's cute." We FINALLY got him to say it correctly. He will say "pasketti" every now and again, but he quickly corrects himself after we say "what did you eat?".
I'm all for having fun with your children and kids being cute, but he will be starting school in a few years (doesn't help that BM pulled him from his daycare to spend all day in front of the tv with her sister). He will/can not say "L" and "th" sounds and instead of the word "girl," he says "goul."
His father and I are working with him to see if we can help him with these. I just do not want this child to end up having to go to speech therapy when he starts school because BM won't try to correct stuff like that because she thinks it's "cute." My little cousin had that problem when he started school and still has a bit of a speech problem (he's been in school for 2yrs and had to start kindergarten late because of it). All because his parents would not teach him the proper way to talk and spoke like babies to him.
What can we do to end this? BM isn't going to be of any help, and if SS4 ends up in speech therapy, she will no doubt raise a fuss and try to say it is his father's fault.

Auteur's picture

"tease the living Jesus out of him"

I don't know. . .with all the "anti bullying" legislation out there, now weird, psychologically stunted, socially maladjusted children will think they are the cat's meow.

I too, do not understand why adults think it's adorable to hear mumbled babytalk of their native tongue. I don't think other languages/cultures encourage this phenomenon. Maybe I'm wrong. I was exposed to French at an early age and at no time did my parents encourage me to speak "babytalk" in any language.

the_stepmonster's picture

Agree. It's not cute. Maybe SS is jealous of the baby on the way and is trying to keep his baby status at BM's. Instead of encouraging the baby talk she should be reinforcing the big brother mentality, but unfortunately we cannot control our BM's. That would make life too easy.

Auteur's picture

There is a certain type of "adult" who thinks that baby talk is cute. I call them the "coochie coo" types. They usually make the worst parents too because they can't envision their children past infancy.

Both the BEhemoth (BM) and GG (biodad I live with) are the "coochie coo" types. Then there is me on the other end of the spectrum. I envision children as potential adults; young "skullfulls of mush" just awaiting instruction and guidance to be molded into responsibile adults. A "teacher" type if you will.

Prince Hygiene (SS 8 1/2) was talking baby talk right up till almost seven just before he PASed out for good over a homecooked meal (something he seldom if ever gets at the Behemoth's house)

"I wanna go to Mick and Donals to eat" (McDonalds)
"Can we go to the BLUUUUUUUUUUUUE store?" (Wants dad to buy yet another costly trinket at Walmart)
"TREAT, TREAT,TREAT, TREAT, TREAT, TREAT,TREAT, TREAT,TREAT, TREAT!!!" (yelling loudly and jumping up and down in place. . .translation "may I please have a huge bowl of chocolate ice cream although I did not touch my dinner?")

At this point I was ready to throw him a GENERIC dog bone snack.

ms.blessed.n.distressed's picture

Oh you are lucky. My SS is 11 and does baby talk, speaks so quiet a mouse couldn't hear him, whines like no other, calls his dad, daddy & mom, mommy. I want to smack him. But I have never laid a hand on the brat. My DD3 is nothing like him but now I notice he is seriously rubbing off on her. Everytime I ask him a ? he will not answer, rubs his feet together, stares at the ground, plays with his hands and shrugs. Finally when I get an answer he says it so quiet, whiney and babyish that I want to pull my hair out. I tell him to talk right and speak up or I will send him to his room. After 3 or 4 sometimes 15x he will speak right. And this is every damn time. He is constantly telling me stories of when he was a baby with his mommy and daddy. His parents split when he was almost 2.... I always tell him he's not a baby, its rude to not answer, he will never be a baby again, that his sisters are babies and that they know how to talk better than he does. I have had serious talks with him about his baby behavior, wetting the bed, wearing PULL UPS AT BM'S, constantly talking about how he wants mommy and daddy together, ect and he always says stuff like "I want a real brother and sister. Half doesn't mean as much." "It doesn't make sense for u to marry my daddy. My mommy should be his wife. What is that going to make you when u marry him? I have a mommy. That's just weird." And I tell him his mom and dad will never be together muchless get married. I'm not going anywhere and your dad is marrying me whether u like it or not. He bawls... He pretty much acts like a complete baby bc he thinks if he's a baby again that mommy and daddy will be together again. It's sad. He needs counseling but mommy and daddy think its sweet. Makes me wuna puke.

Newbie_step's picture

Ms.blessed.n.di I know how you feel. My SS10 thinks its cute to call DH daddy... or his bm mommy... I do tell my DH ... what normal 10 year old calls his dad daddy...??? go figure... I mean I have two sons one is 16 the other 19 and honestly I don't remember the last time they called me mommy... maybe they were like 4 or so... I tell my husband that this is not ok... if he still baby's him like this he will get bullied in middle school... why do our DH have such guilt??? I mean his son is a big 6 year old... and he isn't helping my calling him sweetie!! Come on he's a boy... I mean it's weird... his son is a brat... why can some men see the damage they are causing these kids... specially by coddling them like if they were 6 years old....

ms.blessed.n.distressed's picture

Ugh I just hate it, hate him. I can't handle anymore of this crap. Make me so depressed all day, everyday. It's like when will these parents get over the fact they aren't together anymore and let their kid grow up? I honestly feel they want to keep him a baby so they have.to yall every damn day. Idk. I'm so over it. That's a lie... I wish I was over it... Sad

Newbie_step's picture

I know how you feel... I mean seriously... you are raising MEN!! for God's sake.... One of the last times I spoke to DH I told him... you are raising a man!! so he needs to know that you treat your wife with respect and you need to treat him age appropriately... What do you think about dads calling their sons at age 10 or so..."sweetie????" :jawdrop: :jawdrop: :jawdrop:

my.kids.mom's picture

I can't stand the baby talk either. Most women can't because we see where it's going...nowhere good. It is typical when a new sibling is arriving, but should not be encouraged or allowed! I told my bf simply that my time around his kids would be limited as long as he lets his youngest constantly baby talk. He did not notice it until he asked his kids if she did it a lot and they said YES! Not sure why he needed confirmation from the kids, but whatever. He said he was working on it with her, but the next time we were in my living room for a couple of hours and she was doing it nonstop and he said nothing despite the daggers my eyes were sending him, I realized that he was not going to stop it.