to not want my dd's nursery to teach her to say "ta"?!

[mummy2isla]

Not to be snobby or anything .... ... but I HATE babies being taught to say "ta" - my dd (11 months) has just started in nursery and all the nursery staff tell her to say "ta" all the time - I don't like it, but have the feeling I would be a bit awful to ask them not to?

Don't get me started on the use of K instead of C

I also don't like:

Blanky or Blanblan for blanket
Doggie its a dog
Boc boc for bottle
Duddie or dodo for dummy (but then I don't like those either)
Belly (makes me shudder don't know why)
and a wide range of wierd names for the posterier areas that I'm not even going to mention

DS1 used to run around saying "beezy biddio, beezy biddio"

No idea what it meant, til one day we were listening to the radio and the BBC Radio 2 jingle came on ....... Beezy biddio
I swear I never taught it to him

I taught both my girls to say ta. I always said, 'say ta. Thank you!' I feel it allowed them to acknowledge that something had been given to them from a very early age, when 'thank you' may have been too difficult to say. They were saying 'thank you' within months, and dd2 has been an exceptionally early talker.

I didn't use any other baby words with them though- spade is a spade and all that. But I was keen to encourage manners from a very early age.

Haven't read entire thread but I'm completely with the OP on this issue. Ta is just awful. I think the only problem, though, with asking the nursery staff not to say it is that they'll most likely think that you're some kind of uppity, too-good for them kind of mother and won't take kindly to being asked to change their way of speech. Furthermore, they're most likely in the habit of saying 'ta', meaning that it'll no doubt slip out anyhow.

I think you may have to reconcile yourself to 'unteaching' your DD the word, much like I had to with DD when she was taught to say 'haitch' in Reception

I AGREE with Franny re teaching babies/small children 'ta', 'say thank you' etc.
Adults should model the behaviour they want to see. We are polite and kind to each other at home and ds does often say 'fank oo' but I would never 'teach' him in that 'what do you say?' way.
My friend said about her 18 month old 'He doesnt get anything unless he says please first'. Is that really manners? Or just getting stuff?

If you don't like ta just don't use it at home - if you ask the nursery not to say it they'll think you're ridiculous and you'll be gossiped about for ages

I'm so pleased that the parents of the children I care for do not share your opinions, or I would never get any mindee's at all!!!!

I moved from Hull three years ago and now live in Bromley where obviously the accent is very much different! And I do say Ta. To my knowledge noone has burned in hell yet for the use of it!

is that the criterion? that you can only mind about what your child is being taught if it's actually going to result in eternal damnation?

Just take comfort from the fact that they will be able to converse with the help when they're older

I just think that the world has gone mad if this is what we are worrying about now!

Wonder what the mum of one of the kids I look after thought when my son introduced her to the word willy?????? (tney were only 2 1/2 and potty training at the time by the way)

gawd, people are reet chippy in their determination to use the nonsense 'word' ta, aren't they? class war, anyone?

Aitch has managed to articulate exactly why I don't like it. We say "thank you" when we give DD something. It's the "say taaa. Taaa. Taaaaa" that creeps me out. Especially when the person doing it hangs on to the article to make the child say ta. (usually my mum, it must be said )

So what if it is snobbish.

I am obviously referring to words like "ta" not that a cleaner might say "shall cleany wipe the sofey-wofey for bossboss?"

sofey-wofey = sofa

obviously

unless you've employed a different kind of cleaner

When I was pregnant with DS1, I recall reading in a magazine almost exactly this same conversation, about the virtues (or otherwise) of "ta" v "thank you", and indeed the woof-woof/broom broom thing.

DS1 is 22.5 years old.

Some things clearly don't change.

hmmmmm, must teach our puppy not to go on the 'sofey-wofey'

If puppy bites something he is not allowed I say 'ta' and he knows to drop it, maybe it evolved from dog language!!!!!

I am quite aware that there is no logic to it. People can teach their children to say whatever they like. But it's a horrible word. And a waste of time as little ones can usually make a reasonable fist of thanks IME.

I don't like ta. In the same way that I hate serviette. And lounge. I have shed many of my inbuilt prejudices over the years. Leave me my linguistic ones please.

Well said 'old lady knows nothing' (don't like calling you that), I am sure that this argument will still be going on in another 22.5 years!

'Ta' is just repellent, I would never use it and nor does dd. Snobbish? Probably.

Have no problem with baby words like 'woof woof' though, they are quite cute. No need for them though imo, surely no harm in just teaching kids the correct words?

And as for the 'haven't you got something more important to worry about' line, the answer is yes. But this is leisure worrying, on my own time.

arf at leisure worrying. although i worry that 'leisure' is a bit non-U.

Good point aitch

Aha! How about hobby worrying? Amateur worrying ?

i think hobby worrying has charm. [mitford]

my sons has autism and cant speak at all except to sometimes say ssssss for yes his special needs school have decided the children have to learn french(part of the curriculum) and i have to encourage him to say merci for thank you...bonkers