Hanging on by my fingernails but I can see the finish line...
Y is for Yesteryear
'time gone by'
Two days left in the challenge and I've reached the point where I'm literally surveying my family for a word. I even pressed the 5-year old who suggested 'you' and 'yellow', which just might be my words because it's 9:15 PM and I got nothin.
My daughter sang out yodelayheehoo and we all laughed. I'm not saying no to that one either.
Actually yodelayheehoo makes me think of The Sound of Music and how my girls loved to sing along, how we all loved to sing along, and how my hubs can (and occasionally will) bust out the line, 'There's a family in Salzburg' sounding exactly like Mother Superior. How it makes us all laugh and is just one of those family things that nobody but your own family gets or finds funny.
There's a name for this and it's called familects. It just means one family's way of speaking, and can be anything from expressions to nicknames to stories told. Experts say familects not only help forge connections within a family, but they also have the power to draw us back together over and over again.
Every family has their thing. Their own language and shared humor. It's one of my favorite things actually, that invisible thread that pulls us all in tight when a funny (to us) word or phrase is used, or a reference is made to some nearly forgotten long ago moment in time.
The way something small or silly or sentimental reminds us we belong to each other.
'There's a family in Salzburg...'
Beautiful post. I love how the family is so included.
ReplyDeleteI hope you're enjoying the A to Z Challenge. Please check out the giveaway on my W post.
J Lenni Dorner (he/him 👨🏽 or 🧑🏽 they/them) ~ Speculative Fiction & Reference Author and Co-host of the April Blogging #AtoZchallenge
So true about families and their shared language and humor!! It sounds like you have some great helpers for ideas. You've almost made it- though the last letter is a doozy!
ReplyDeleteYep, thank goodness there is only 1 letter to go - shame it's such a tricky one though. You've done some great posts Joyce.
ReplyDeleteGood job on the Y . . .when all you wanted to do (I'm assuming) is go to bed haha! Reading your post made me think of a few funny things from our family, too!
ReplyDeleteYup; we have those little things too. Sometimes it's nicknames we gave the kids or crazy stuff they said when they were little that we still bring up. There's a video of my oldest getting really into eating hibachi rice one time and he was saying "aya chaya" for some reason and we sometimes ask him, "Whatever happened to the aya chaya kid?" and he'll just roll his eyes. But it's special to us.
ReplyDeleteYes! Love familects! Didn't know there was a word for it. I could have thrown yellow into my post as my grands thought rubbing a dandelion on my white shirt was necessary yesterday. Spraying that spot with stain removal spray this morning. OYE. One more day zzzz.
ReplyDeleteI had not heard the word, "familects" before reading this post but yes, I understand what it is. My family, back in the day, had some lines from the Harrison Ford movie, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, that we quoted at appropriate times. One of my favs was Sean Connery saying, "I wrote it down so I wouldn't have to remember it!"
ReplyDeleteOne of my sons, after leaving an especially contentious discussion in one of his university classes quipped, "My boy, we're pilgrims in an unholy land”.
I absolutely love how you’ve captured the heart of family life with this post! The idea of “familects” is such a sweet reminder of those little inside jokes and shared memories that hold a family together. I can totally picture your hubs busting out his Mother Superior line—those spontaneous moments that only your family finds hilarious are truly priceless. The joy of singing together or even the silly word suggestions from your little one shows how family creates its own beautiful language.
ReplyDeleteNice photo, I also have not heard of familects but I get what it means and it makes sense
ReplyDeleteFamilects, I love it!! My family has oodles of these <3 Especially love this line "
ReplyDeleteThe way something small or silly or sentimental reminds us we belong to each other."
Our 2 1/2 old granddaughter has almost memorized many of the Sound Of Music songs, Lonely Goatherd is a particular favorite!
Love this!! I understand familects well. Yes, we do, and I repeat some of Joe's often! Great Sound of Music photo at the end!! xo
ReplyDelete