Hang Up?

Sometimes we don’t realize we’re saying things that have historical meaning but no current contextual meaning until they’re pointed out to us.   For example, we don’t “roll down the window” in most cars these days, but that’s still the phrase we use.   I was caught off guard by my son the other day when he asked me, “mom, what do you mean ‘hang up’” after I told him Mimi had already hung up the phone.

He wasn’t completely on board with my explanation because imagining a phone that hung on the wall was one thing, but having a hand piece connected to a cord that you “hung up” on a cradle when you were done talking didn’t make any sense to him.   We have a house line, but we only have cordless phones.   The cell phone has a hang up button on it, but it just says, appropriately, “END” to terminate the call.  

Even their play phones, including the real flip phone that Nana no longer uses has no mental connection to “hanging up”.   Like children do though, he believed me when I told him the reason behind the saying and just moved on to the next question about how the world worked.

The Tiny Girl Chronicles:  My daughter’s update goes first tonight because my son’s follows in time. This morning my mother was watching the children while my husband and I were out.   When I got back she told she had had a very nice time singing with my daughter.   She sang “How Much is That Doggie in the Window” to her and my daughter sang along and particularly liked saying, ‘RUFF RUFF!” when that part came around.    I don’t know that my mother knew, but dogs are all the rage in our house right now due to some small character stuffed animals representing characters from a show the children like.    I think the “pups” are currently upstairs on the table, each being served a large array of play food my daughter set out for each of them.

The Big Boy Update:   My son was putting together a Lego this morning while my mother was playing and singing with my daughter.   To all accounts, he looked like he was focused on the Lego and not paying attention at all.   However, when they took a break from singing my son suddenly said in a loud voice, “Alexa, play ‘How Much is That Doggie in the Window’”.   Alexa complied and played the Patty Paige version.