The Spelling Lesson

Last night our Little Lulu arrived with school clothes bundled up prepared to spend the night. We ate dinner and then worked on her homework. Basically, we worked on her spelling words. She usually gets 100% but there were a few words she is having trouble with....like flipping- WHY does it have a 2nd P in it-You can only hear ONE! Well, ain’t that the truth? I am always trying to find "tricks" to help her (and others, myself included) remember things. So, the trick to remember for that one is that the P FLIPS over and doubles itself....ie..fliPPing, siPPing, niPPing....good -nice little trick, Nana~ But wait- MyHero is now in the picture....he says...like duping? No, I tell him, duping only has ONE P. Well, why is that? I dunno (two N’s)...do I look like a flipping dictionary? By now, Lulu is contorted with laughter as she asks Papa to spell things. Her new favorite is Railroad Crossing Without Any Cars-Can you spell that without any R’s? Occasionally, she changes the word that to IT and catches someone (we won’t mention any names but look to your right).

Another word we had fun with was Common. I say it as I see it- she says, No, Nana, it is comMEN..not CoMMon. So, how do you spell it then I ask her- C-0-M-M-A-N...just like it sounds! Yes, but that is NOT the right spelling.(besides which you spelled MAN and NOT MEN but we aren’t gonna go down THAT road).soooo..that’s why you got it wrong. It is COM- MON...Well, you can say it that way if you want to, Nana...but the right way is com-MEN. Now she is making up her own rule...."You just have to learn to spell it like it doesn’t sound". That makes perfect sense to her! Personally, I have decided that I can never win with Little Miss Literal because she so seriously believes whatever she is expounding on.

After the homework was done, she snuggled up next to me and we watched American Idol together. (Don’t tell her Mom cuz she is supposed to go to bed at 8:30 and I don’t want to get scolded-especially by a daughter). As soon as it was over she looked up at me with those big, clear eyes and asked, "Now what, Nana?" I gazed back at this little face that is so dear to me and asked ."Can you spell B-E-D?" Her answer is one of my favorites-----VERRRY FUNNY, Nana!