People teaching DS to say "ta" not "thank you"

[auburnlizzy78]

He's 11 months. Just not sure whether I'm BU to be irritated. I say it sometimes obviously in conversation so I'm not a Brian Sewell-type stickler for perfection when it comes to spoken English.... but should we not be teaching correct words first as he will pick up enough slang on his own anyway?

One of the grandparents is always doing this - asking DS to pass her a book or a toy and repeatedly saying "ta, ta" at him. I tried the subtle approach of joining in and saying "thank you DS" but she didn't click and kept on with the "ta, ta, ta." Not sure if I should correct gently or let it go?

[SurprisEs]

I understand that it's easier for children to say ta instead of thankyou and I think that the comments about people being looked down at for saying ta are a bit over the top. I just don't understand why thankyou is ta but turtle is still turtle. Correct speech should be encouraged from early on. I'm not saying the child should be reprimended though.

[mo3d]

My friends daughter was encouraged to say 'thank you' but it came out 'fat cow'. Always made me smile

[Sleepyspaniel]

I felt like this too initially as I didn't want my DD1 (PFB) learning slang. However once DD1 had stopped saying Ta and had gone to "ick-oo" then Fankoo now Thank you, I wasn't as bothered by it as I had witnessed that she was capable of learning and using the correct words.

I think I felt she would never learn to say Thank You, if she had been taught "Ta" IYKWIM. Happily that is not the case so I would relax if I were you and wait for the bigger battles ...

[bruffin]

2CurrySpice - do you still point out all the 'sheeps' you see from your car window as well (even when the dc aren't in the car? Or is that just me? blush"

My two little babies will be 14 and 16 this week and I still say look horsies, pigs,sheep

They don't hear any more because they are invariably plugged into their ipod

OP YABVU

[CurrySpice]

bruffin yes I do

Only yesterday I pointed out a big crane on the motorway, neither of the DDs looked up from their books!

[YouHaveNoPowerOverMe]

YANBU!

It irritates me. Ds1 used to sign "Thank-you" before his speech came along then over time he started signing it and saying "tankoo" which was a lot better in my ears than Ta.

Now it's Thank Oo but he's getting there and people still know what he means so haven't had a problem avoiding Ta.

[coffeeaddict]

YANBU!!!!

My DS started saying 'De-du' practically before anything else. (Usually he means 'please give me what you are holding' :))

Babies like two-syllable words. Why not say to grandparent you're trying to get your child to say 'De-du' as you've heard another child say it/health visitor has advised/Daily Mail says it is impossible and you wish to prove them wrong and get them involved in the challenge?

[downpipe]

I felt like this too..MIL insisted on teaching DS "ta" at this age and it irritated me.But I have to say, it was one of the first words he picked up so it worked,and I do like having a polite-sounding toddler so I don't really mind now

[Sirzy]

Why would you Encourage something that sounds nothing like thank you over a word/sound universally recognised as meaning thank you?

[Morloth]

You know it really doesn't matter don't you?

[saintlyjimjams]

I remember being told off by some twonk for saying 'gee gee' rather rhan horse to ds1 when he was 2 (and encouraging him to say it). I used gee gee with him because he could say it (and yes he knew what a horse was). Even more stupidly i listened to said idiot and stopped saying gee gee and switched to trying to get him to say to horse. Fast forward 10 years later and he still can't say horse - so now if he needs to communicate about a horse (which he does - he goes horse riding at school) then he either needs to find a pecs card or he up has to use his version of the sign (which no-one understands becuase it's not even the correct version of the sign). If he still had gee gee (he's lost the ability to say it now) then at least someone else might be able to understand him.

From the day i realised my mistake communication rather than accuracy became the goal.

[Moominsarescary]

Don't see the problem, both mine said ta from 10 months ds1 and 12 months ds2 and changed to please and thankyou later.

[Bubbaluv]

YANBU, I hate ta.
On the other hand, my friend's little girl (2yo) was also taught to say Thank You and used it unprompted at all the correct times, however she pronounced it, clear as a bell "Fuck You". Absolutely hysterical!
Her mother promtly taught her Ta.

[Cereal]

Yes But I'm quite old :o

"do you dial a telephone number?"

[luckylavender]

That would annoy the bejesus out of me and did and I would not let my toddler say "Ta", ever. So lazy

[exoticfruits]

I can't believe it is still going. Pick your battles and this isn't one of them. Use 'thank you' yourself, correct your toddler if you want, but you are deluding yourself if you think you can control how others speak to your DC!

[EllenRose]

Personally, we've always used 'Thank You', Dog not Doggy, Horse not Gee-Gee etc. Like DogsBestFriend I have corrected it when my MIL has used something any of them so I would say YANBU but it is personal preference.

All DCs created their own versions of words, including for their brothers and sisters names and later got to grips with the correct ones. Some of the words DH and I still use now for comedic effect but we are clearly in the minority in the family as the DCs look at us like we're mad

[pinkytheshrinky]

Well it is a bit annoying i suppose but ffs chill out - in the scheme of things it's not really a problem is it?

[PercyPigPie]

'Ta' makes my teeth itch.

[exoticfruits]

Once someone becomes a mother they seem to imagine that they can control the DCs environment. You can't -so you may as well take a laid back approach and save yourself the aggro. You will come across far worse than the occasional 'ta'!