The Parent Formerly Known As Daddy

Doni frequently calls me Jer (rhymes with "hair") around the house. This last week Ava picked up on the fact that I must have three names: Dad, Daddy, and Jer. Guess which is her title of choice for me?

Just like Bart Simpson refuses to refer to his father by anything other than "Homer", Ava has started to exclusively call me Jer. However, when she says it, it always comes out sounding like "chair". The first time she did it to my face Doni had to translate for me because I couldn't figure out what she was talking about.

Since it sounds like "chair" instead of "Jer", she doesn't necessarily get my attention right away. We were driving home from Wal-Mart the other day when she started talking to herself (or so I thought). I was paying more attention to the road and the radio, so I didn't realize that she was calling for me. She kept getting louder with each try. "Chair... CH-air!.... CHAIR!" Finally I realized that she was talking to me and responded.

Other times purposefully ignore her when she calls me Jer. She'll call for me and I won't look at her. I'll tell her to, "Say Daddy." When she does, I'll respond. The lesson doesn't stick though, because the next time she wants me she'll go right back to calling out "Chair!"

At the dinner table the other night she kept calling me Jer. Doni and I would calmly tell her that I was "Daddy". She would kindly reply, "Jer". Eventually Doni and I happened to correct her at the same, saying, "It's Daddy." Apparently this synchronization was a little too much for her because her smile turned into a big, pouty, bottom lip and she started to cry.

Jer it is.