Literally

Do you ever say a sentence and finish it with "literally?" For instance, "I was about to suffocate from the heat and humidity. Literally." I know it's redundant-- we should just say what we mean and stop there-- but I do it often. With a two year old in the house, I have recently reconsidered what I say and how it might be taken literally by Grace. Things I say like:

-"Shiloh! You are annoying me to death!" (Shiloh is our dog who loves to bark.)

-"I have tons of laundry to do."

-"It's too hot outside to even live."

All of these phrases seem innocent enough. But, to a 2 year old majoring in linguistics, all of our statements that should not be taken literally can be quite confusing.

Nathaniel loves to tell Grace that she is "so cute I could just eat you up!" It's a sweet phrase and makes her giggle. Last night she said to me, "I could just eat you up!" and then proceeded to...wait for it...bite me. 'Twas a gentle bite, one of love, but it was her obvious attempt to "eat me up!" Funny times in the life of a 2 year old.

You can bet I'll be a bit more careful about what I say. Err, I don't actually bet...so, you can be sure I'll be a bit more careful about what I say!