Home Editors Choice Parenting Terms Redefined By A Sleep Deprived Mum #Honestparentingdictionary

Parenting Terms Redefined By A Sleep Deprived Mum #Honestparentingdictionary

by Author: Jade Lloyd

The wonderful, ‘wordy’ world of parenting.

I had my son at the ripe old age of 23. I considered myself world wise as I could make a cappuccino and kept up with current world affairs through Tweets and phone calls with my grandmother. When I became pregnant I envisaged a nine month evolution into an all knowing earth mother. Laughs tiredly. Six years later I am still flying by the seat of my stretchy leggings. I had (have) NO clue what I was doing. Worse that that? I owned a stack of parenting guides full of 1000 terms that now described my life. Most of which? Inadequate, incorrect or utterly confusing. Ignore the literature and develop your own ‘parenting speak’.

Learn these honest definitions every parent needs to know in order to navigate through the insane world of parenthood.

Parenthood: Where you are expected to look at a miniscule cut on your sons finger, which may or may not be dirt while he sobs in an Oscar worthy fashion and expects you to call 999, then grandma, then put on 200 plasters whilst watching a Disney film. Underpaid position.

Motherhood: An enforced period of caffeine addiction, dubious personal hygiene and soul destroying cartoons with animals that make you cross at life (see Mother).

Mother: Female of varying ages all who feel 215. Eats leftover food and can never remember the date or where the keys are. Olay and eye bag concealer become popular, as do leggings. Fixer of scraped knees.

Father: Bearded version of mother. Man who builds shed in garden to escape offspring. Protector of daughters, tallest and strongest person in the world to own children even if 5’4. Master of piggybacks.

Childbirth: When it is ok to swear at your mother, demand narcotics and crawl around a hospital floor mooing. A means to an end. Expect happy and sad crying. Traumatic, take Lucozade. Avoid if possible.

Hypnobirthing: Fanciful notion that mothers briefly consider before screaming for an epidural.

Nappies: The reason your carpet is still beige.

Breastfeeding: A means of feeding ones child; involves partial nudity in public. A time when it is acceptable to eat 3 snickers a day for sustenance, when your breasts grow 4 sizes and if they did not hurt so much you would do a jog and your best Baywatch impression. Lefty will be a G cup.

Bottle-feeding: Significant other of Breastfeeding. When the mathematical pressure of powder to hot water mix befuddles your brain, you put your phone in a steriliser at 2am and you are bound to leave at least 5 bottles on the bus. At one point you will try formula in your coffee.

Parenting terms. Family.

Bum-shuffing: In at the clubs. PG alternative to twerking.

Weaning: When you wish to redecorate your ceiling with a range of sticky, carefully cut up fruit and vegetables. A time when you will lose 7 pounds through pure disgust at constantly looking at and cleaning up blended food of a snot like consistency that Anabel Karmel told you to combine. You will start with good intentions then buy everything from a jar.

Tummy time: When a parent is so tired they just lie face down on the bed.

Baby: The result of the casting aside of birth control. Looks like a miniature old man. Sounds like a kitten and does very little but cry and poo. Gorgeous and precious to one’s own parents. Health hazard.

Sleeping through: A myth.

Toddler: Karma paying back all your past debaucheries; shots at university, smoking, wearing short skirts, not attending church etc. Has selective hearing. A foot tall mini dictator that has a fascination with dandelions and pets (see Tantrums).

Tantrums. What your child does to test your sanity: puts you off the idea of siblings. They lead you to drink in the evenings. Time outs and star charts will be attempted but bribery and biscuits are the only way to survive. Worst at night time. 

Soft play: The stuff of nightmares. Dante’s 10th level of hell. Filled with precarious foam ledges and plastic, sticky balls of dubious hygiene. Pray no one vomits. Offers ridiculously priced, terrible caffeine based products. You will get your ass stuck in the tube slide. Do not forget socks. There is always a puddle on the toilet floor.

Phonics: Stuff that I should really know already but had no clue. New-fangled alphabet.

Velcro: The reason your kids hate shoelaces.

Peppa Pig: The reason you hate everything.

Helicopter Parenting: New-fangled terminology. Overprotective mums and dads that think yogurts are dangerous. Is my type of parenting then Submarine parenting or Bungee parenting?!

Uh oh: The phrase that is uttered followed by a visit to A&E. Or that something expensive in your house is broken. Or that your kid pooed in the bath, again.

Teenagers: Something I am not prepared for. Preceded by tweens.  Can operate any technological device in 0.3 seconds but cannot make a bed. Make sure you have unlimited downloads and superfast broadband. Territorial.

Any terminology that you still don’t know what it means even though your child is 12? Or definitions of your own you want to share?  

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36 comments

You Baby Me Mummy 26th July 2016 - 4:01 pm

Ha ha! Love this so funny! Thanks for linking up to #TheList x

Reply
Pudding love linky week 15 - Lifeofmyfamilyandme.com 24th July 2016 - 6:04 pm

[…] some linky business! My favourite post from last week was from Parenting Jungle Definitions of parenting terminology refined. It was hilarious to read! Well […]

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#PuddingLove Week 15 - Petite Pudding 24th July 2016 - 6:02 pm

[…] things. My Top Pudding  this week is Jade from @parentingjungle, loved her funny post about the terminology of parenting, grab yourself the Top Pudding badge m’dear. I would like to give a special mention to […]

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Petite Pudding (@petite_pudding) 23rd July 2016 - 7:03 pm

Ha ha very funny – particularly like the bit about Pammy. I could so have done a Baywatch run if I wasn’t sobbing into my pillow with pain…. #PuddingLove

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@lifeofmyfamilyandme (@mrs_rachb) 20th July 2016 - 8:19 pm

Haha how funny! cuts, plasters, wailing oh yes i still get it from my 5 year old lol! I too do not like Peppa Pig! Thanks for linking up to #puddinglove

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theparentingjungle 22nd July 2016 - 6:58 am

Peppa pig is everyone’s nightmare!!x

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bridiebythesea 20th July 2016 - 8:14 am

Haha this is fab! I particularly loved…father: a bearded version of mother! Spot on 🙂 #triballove

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theparentingjungle 20th July 2016 - 9:18 am

Leo the other day said mummy why did you make me like I am..and I said I didn’t choose it but you have bits of mummy and bits of daddy..he then asked why he didn’t have daddy’s beard…lol xx

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bridiebythesea 20th July 2016 - 9:20 am

That is brilliant, imagine the chaos of we got to pick which bits make up our kids ? xx

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threedifferentdinners 19th July 2016 - 8:56 pm

Did I say #bigpinklink? Or was I too busy gushing?

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threedifferentdinners 19th July 2016 - 8:55 pm

whitecamellias stole my starting words!!! You are a genius, truly. Best post I’ve read all week!!!
Bloody Annabel Karmel and her pinwheel sandwiches…..
PS: what’s the time?

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theparentingjungle 20th July 2016 - 9:17 am

Haha you cracked me up with the gushing comment, who needs pinwheel cucumber sandwiches…no one…why is it what when someone asks whats the time I want to answer…DINNERTIME..like in the playground..xx

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theparentingjungle 22nd July 2016 - 6:56 am

Domestic goddess…..;) I’m going to the chip shop…x

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threedifferentdinners 22nd July 2016 - 7:03 am

Yep, in real life it was pizza, again, here x

threedifferentdinners 20th July 2016 - 9:46 am

But I’m going to plait the spaghetti hair and add a sculpted carrot body just to jazz it up a bit x

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whitecamellias 18th July 2016 - 8:06 pm

You are a GENIUS! Totally tantrums are the cross we must carry to pay for our sins. I would like to add that reading 6 Thomas the tank engine books before child decides to go to sleep is also another form of LEGALISED TORTURE. #bigpinklink

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theparentingjungle 19th July 2016 - 11:19 am

Oh yes that is totally in the list…multiple book reading or film watching back to back….ughhh xxx

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babiesbiscuitsandbooze 18th July 2016 - 2:03 pm

Ahahaha I love it! I want a snickers now though. You’re a comedy genius and I love you. #bigpinklink

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Pink Pear Bear (@pinkpearbear) 18th July 2016 - 12:06 pm

Potty training: The reason your carpet is no longer beige! 😉 Great post, really made me laugh. This should be handed out to new parents in hospital! Thanks for being a #bigpinklinker

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theparentingjungle 18th July 2016 - 12:51 pm

Hahaha thank you beauty that is an awesome one…eugh potty training..wonder how I survived all the poo…x

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twotinyhands 18th July 2016 - 11:52 am

ha ha, I’m never going to stop breastfeeding. I can see tantrums being a big deal and I am concerned about them hoping to survive them though. #puddinglove

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theparentingjungle 18th July 2016 - 12:50 pm

They are survivable you get some war wounds but you carry on 🙂 xx

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Jessica Foley (@ModernMomsLife) 17th July 2016 - 11:33 pm

Love this! I agree with them all. Sharing on Twitter! Hilarity is the only way to survive parenthood some days, am I right?
#puddinglove

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theparentingjungle 18th July 2016 - 12:50 pm

Yup its the only way to survive parenting full stop..that and wine!xx

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The Adventures of Beta Mummy 17th July 2016 - 8:38 pm

Ha ha! I totally ate 3 snickers a day whilst breastfeeding! Unfortunately that habit was a little hard to break once I stopped breastfeeding…oops.
#puddinglove

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theparentingjungle 18th July 2016 - 12:49 pm

Haha I AM A SNICKERS MACHINE…munch munch xx

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PipTanager 17th July 2016 - 8:10 pm

Hilarious! Thank you for staying up last night. This was well worth it

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theparentingjungle 18th July 2016 - 12:48 pm

Should blog in the early hours more often I think!!x

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Ahdad 17th July 2016 - 7:42 pm

I need one for the word teenagers…

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theparentingjungle 18th July 2016 - 12:44 pm

So tempted to ask what word…….:) x

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astridarditi 17th July 2016 - 7:23 pm

This is brilliant! Laughing out loud right now 🙂

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theparentingjungle 18th July 2016 - 12:43 pm

Thank you lovely, always glad of your comments and shares, your an angel x

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Mouse, Moo and Me Too 17th July 2016 - 7:35 pm

For a second I thought you were referring to condoms when you wrote “looks like a little old man” ? Very funny and slightly depressing list because there’s seemingly no end in sight to the pain we must bear! #puddinglove

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theparentingjungle 18th July 2016 - 12:44 pm

Pain and hilarity are the spice of life ..right…well whatever happens we have wine..xx

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Mouse, Moo and Me Too 18th July 2016 - 12:55 pm

And gin. Always gin. X

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