What do you do when your dc are wrong and won't admit it? I am BU

[woundedplacerias]

Dc today (both of them, aged 7 &9)kept insisting that the word 'advent' means countdown. A teacher told them so apparently. Annoyingly, ds1 told me proudly 2 years ago that he was the only one in assembly to know the real meaning, but he too now insists it means countdown.

Ds2 insists on saying 'could/would etc of', with the 'of' firmly pronounced. I try to encourage the understated 'uv' sound (not come across it in his writing ) but he says Dad says 'of' is fine - we are divorcing. I know ex is a ridiculous inverted snob of the highest degree, but ffs. I teach countless kids who write this way, and I find it impossible to let it pass without comment.

I know in both cases that the more I say, the more they insist, so why do I do it? Doesn't help that they are both currently of the mind that Dad is right and I am wrong, and that I am the world's worst/strictest mum...

[Sweets101]

Could you use the power of Google to prove that you are in fact correct?

[Sirzy]

When it's things like definitions/facts we google it together to check what the right answer is.

[ChuckGravestones]

I'd bet them a chore round the house each time, then prove I was right until they finally realise who is the genius in our house. Whilst also getting the dusting done.

[woundedplacerias]

Yes, we did Google, but ds2 just rambles on about how it's wrong/it could mean countdown etc etc. He in particular just doesn't want to admit that I actually know anything at the moment .

[fourcorneredcircle]

Could/would of or "uv" are both mispronunciations or could/would have aren't they?! misses point

[woundedplacerias]

No.

[fourcorneredcircle]

Yes... I checked.

en.oxforddictionaries.com/usage/could-of-or-could-have

[fourcorneredcircle]

But as for children being convinced they were right... I suppose if you have corrected them, shown them the evidence and they are still adamant they are right it's time for another gin

[Lewwat]

Wow 😂
The irony

[CozumelFox]

I'd just ignore both of them. If they want to prattle on about a word being incorrect, fine - they'll either grow out of it or become the office bore, tell someone and get laughed at. Then they won't do it again. A stern teacher will mark their grammar/spellings wrong and put them straight.

Kids like not listening to their parents. They're probably taking it on board but enjoying winding you up, especially if they're plying you off against one another.

My littlest says she is 'the boss' and she decides 'the rules'. I don't argue with her, or google parent/child law to show her the evidence, I just ignore it.

[woundedplacerias]

For goodness sake. When we speak we say 'could've' and the 've' bit sounds like 'uv' - don't have the proper phonetic symbols on my laptop, but that's how it sounds. There is no need to say 'have' all the time, and it is quite acceptable, even in relatively formal situations, to say could've, rather than could have. it is also fine to write it in certain contexts. It is absolutely ridiculous to suggest that pronouncing 'could've' in the way it is written is a similar error to saying 'of' .

And the link you have posted does not back up what you seem to think you are saying.

[fourcorneredcircle]

Oh... wait, you were talking about what your son said not wrote, I suppose depending on your accent it would sound more like 'uv' than what we say round here... which is more like 'euhv'.

[woundedplacerias]

What irony?

[AliceInHinterland]

I had a housemate that corrected me when I said "could've" fourcornered - it was over ten years ago and I still dwell on it. Get your facts straight .
I'm sort of joking.

[AliceInHinterland]

And I would absolutely pick my children up on saying "could of". They will come round eventually OP.

[fourcorneredcircle]

X-posted.

Yep, I misunderstood that you were talking about spoken English.

But I still stand by the fact that "of" is not generally acceptable in written English. Which my link did support, and explain.

[woundedplacerias]

Of course 'of' is not acceptable, whether written nor spoken. That was kind of the point I was making .

[fourcorneredcircle]

Ah well. Maybe I'm the one that needs the gin

[woundedplacerias]

No, I certainly need it too .

[fourcorneredcircle]

One for you (you're ok with a mug of gin, right?)

One for me.

[AliceInHinterland]

I like the implication that you are divorcing your husband for saying 'would of'. Is there a category of divorce for grammatical and/or idiomatic errors? There should be, especially if children are involved.

[fourcorneredcircle]

Surely comes under Unreasonable Behaviour?

[woundedplacerias]

Yes, I knew it read a little like that but left it because it amused me . He is such a dick about this stuff. Table manners are another area he prides himself on ignoring -too bourgeois apparently .

[fourcorneredcircle]

Ugh.

You're well shot.

Have another

[SpiderAndMouse]

Irreconcilable grammatical differences?

[not helpful]