Children copying annoying phrases.

Children copying annoying phrases.

by: Eejay - 14-01-13 12:58

There's a girl (edit: member of staff!) at our setting who often says "Oh mairn..." (not spelled like that, but if you read it out loud you'll get the idea) when something happens that she doesn't like or if she drops something, for example. I've heard several children copying her (even when she's not around) in the past few days, and it's really starting to annoy me - what are their parents going to think?!

Other staff seem to think I'm being petty; what do you reckon?

by: Jellytots

i think ure bein a bit petty (sorry) its what kids do... parents should expect their child to go home saying something new... their learning its not bad words or things that can be hurtfull so dont worry about it... they will be saying different things soon im sure x

by: Eejay

I understand that children will copy, but my issue isn't with them. I just wish that the member of staff would stop saying it. If I had a child and they came home saying things like that I'd be quite annoyed - it's not a very professional thing to be saying so frequently.

by: Kandy Flip

Eajay, everyone has their own foibles. You probably have some of your ways of doing things that are true to you. Now how would you feel if a colleague focussed negatively on your particularities rather than positively on your overall effectiveness in working with children?

by: Jellytots

oh sorry, i thought it was a child saying it not a mamber of staff. x

by: Eejay

Oh lol, I've just realised that the way I wrote it is misleading :P Yeah it's one of the members of staff saying it and the children copying her. I do have my own habits that the children copy occasionally, but as soon as I realise that they've learned something not particularly positive from me I try to help them forget it!

by: whmon

I must admit I had something similar many years ago when I first bought my nursery. One of the (TUPE) staff consistently used the word 'learn' in place of the word 'teach. For eg she would say I'm going to learn them how to...

It used to drive me mad and I would constantly explain to her the correct grammar usage until she understood and stopped doing it. In this instance, I felt it would be very much considered as a reflection on the nursery if not dealt with, as a parent I certainly would not want my child picking up bad grammar. Words and phrases though I'm not so bothered about as I know all of us have our own little foibles as Kandy Flip has said. I myself have a habit of addressing the children as Mr (child's first name) or Mrs (child's first name) as a sort of 'jokey' thing, I say this in front of the parents of the children and they always smile and even giggle!

'

by: Kandy Flip

I think I might have to adopt that 'Mr' and 'Mrs' tagging to children's names. Sounds up my street! I often adopt children's surnames as my own, which amuses them as well as other barefaced lies, such as pretending to invite myself to sleepovers at their houses, which they react with a mixture of incredulity, horror and laughter. I'd be disappointed if anyone thought my foibles reflected negatively on the nursery.

By the way, I agree that the confusion over 'learn' and 'teach' does reflect negatively on the educational standards of a nursery, along with mispronouncing 'anything' as 'anythink' or putting apostrophes on plurals on posters. However, I accept if others don't agree.

by: Eejay

I like having a bit of a laugh with the children - we're not "formal" with them, and the children really enjoy our company. We're quite a small nursery so all the children know each other and all the staff etc and they really love coming. I certainly don't behave "prim and proper" with them, and I don't expect others to behave like that either :P

I hate bad grammar/spelling/pronunciation. The old manager used to write notices for parents with "your" instead of "you're" and mistakes like that. She'd write up the newsletters with lots of typos and errors, and when I checked it for her she'd ignore my suggestions because "it didn't matter" and "nobody would notice" :(

The worst example of this "Oh mairn!" business is when a parent had come for a settling-in visit with her son. One of the children had a wet accident - she walked over, looked at it and said "Oh mairn!" then walked away in "mock disgust" and announced to me that the child had had an accident and what should she do? I was mortified.

by: Kandy Flip

Eejay, I think you would be on firmer ground challenging the body language you mention. It could be easily interpreted or misinterpreted as showing lack of empathy to a child, and that this would reflect poorly on the whole setting.

by: kaz (the first one!)

One of my girls used to say that and I started saying 'there's a man? Where? (being an all femal staff this made the others smile!) She then changed it to 'oh my lord' (I won't repeat what I did!) and then we went to 'oh my days!' lol! I find it quite now each staff have their own little sayings!
I certainly agree you need to deal with the body language.

by: Lil Miss Purple

Staff do have sayings, some which can be amusing. I have a friend who says "Oh la la" and the children copy, it's funny. With the "Oh Mainne" I would jokingly say things like "Oh we've gone to America again today!, how about France next time, oui oui?" or when she says it respond with "Don't you mean Oh woman, as there are no men here." Make a joke of it, she will then most probably be more aware of it and stop. She's most likely unaware she is saying it. And look at it this way at least she isn't saying "Oh sh*t" or something! (trust me I had a member of staff say this a little too frequently once, more than annoying)

by: whmon

ooops - one of my staff has said 'Oh Maaairn' a couple of times today, I believe they are reading this. Hahahaha.

by: Lil Miss Purple

The 'Oh Maaairn' epidemic has started now hehe!

by: Eejay

Lol! :P

by: Kandy Flip

Does anyone's setting have a staff member that says 'My bad' when they've made a mistake? Maybe we could start this one off too.

by: whmon

I remember as a small schoolchild almost half a century ago, that the word 'OK' was outlawed in my school as it was 'American slang'. Fast forward to today and even Head Teachers use it, a telling example of the dynamics of language.

As an aside, I have a parent who is a Deputy Headmaster and has visable tattoos. How the world has changed!

by: Lil Miss Purple

Haha ok, I think we should all go in to our respective nurseries tomorrow, if we make a mistake say "Oh mairrn, my bad, ok" all whilst wearing tops that say 'Show us your tatts' I know my workfriends would laugh themselves hoarse, the children would be overwhelmed too ;)

by: Katsie

Oh maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaiiiiiii gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrdddddd!!! :P

by: Katsie

I have noted a lady who works with me.... She refers to excitiement or success with 'Buzzin!!'

For one minute, I thought I was on big brother.

by: Jam

This brings back a memory from my first nanny job along time ago.

The parents were in Australia and brought in a housekeeper to help me at home in London. The boys were 18mths and 3yrs. the playroom was next to the kitchen. The housekeeper dropped a bowl of cake mix on the floor and shrieked 'Oh Sh.t'. The following day the 3yr old picked up a pile of books and dropped them and in aloud voice shouted 'Oh ships'! My heart missed a beat and then i smiled. It became our new 'swear word' after that.

by: calypso

Swiper says it on Dora the Explorer, my then two year old used to say it all the time. Maybe she thinks she's down with the kids!

Tell her it's inappropriate and move on :) 

by: calypso

Swiper says it on Dora the Explorer, my then two year old used to say it all the time. Maybe she thinks she's down with the kids!

It's a bit of fun but I agree can be one inappropriate and irritating. Have a friendly word