Well, we're far past the first words uttered by sweet little Gun-Gun, but now we're on to the biggies - like the words that inspire an immediate reaction out of mommy or daddy. Yes, you know the words that every child stumbles upon and then wonders what to do with their new found power of attention. Cuss words, profanity, bad words, whatever you call them, Gunny have discovered the power of the spoken word through the help of fellow family members. His word(s) of choice?

Gawd Damwit!

And yes, there is an exclamation point after that because he says it with such fervor - his little veins poke out the side of his temple and neck as he yells it for whatever reason.

When I first heard him say it a few months back, it was a mimic of a not-so-careful parent (probably me) dealing with some frustration. I was shocked to see my little baby mouth those words and I immediately corrected him and then placed a secret call to Hubby to share the funny story.

Flash forward to this past week. Grandma L watched the munchkins on Sunday morning and Gunny decided to be a holy terror (actually, no worse than normal). After removing his diaper and pooping on his bedroom floor, he then proceeded to let the ducklings out of their cage to have free reign of our household as he knew Grandma L was tied up on poop patrol. While the ducklings chirped, running through the kitchen, a sweet little Gunny followed right behind admiring how "twute" they were. Of course, Taterbug and C-dub seeing the excitement began to scream and laugh all the while egging Gunny on and causing the ducklings to have their own accidents, thankfully on the linoleum.

Grandma L wasn't too happy 'bout this, and emitted the dreaded words that Gunny had previously developed a love for. Gunny, hearing his catch phrase, immediately started uttering it throughout the house in his best Marlboro Man voice.

Gawd Damwit Grandma L!
Gawd Damwit duckies!
Gawd Damwit Tata!
Gawd Damwit Cajun!

When I finally got home, there was a brief mention of the escapades that had befell my house earlier but no mention of the verbal altercation until Taterbug popped up with the comment that Gunny had used the "GD" word again. Grandma L threw her a quick scowl and reminded her that they weren't going to talk about it. Oops Grandma, you got caught! I assured her it wasn't the first or last time we'd hear Gunny use that phrase but that we all needed to be more careful of our household mynah bird.

As I'm writing this post this morning, I can hear Gunny in the kitchen trying to get his Hotwheels out from under the stove. He can't reach them and I hear him say, "Gawd Damwit kars!" C-dub starts laughing and Taters is quick to join in on the fun. I quickly call an informal family meeting and sit Gun-Gun in the time-out chair.

It was cute while it lasted but seriously, I shouldn’t have to worry about censorship for my two-year-old or the fear that he might mouth off in public. We’re going to tackle his utterings by correction and then ignoring the words he's spoken. No more laughing or snickering from anyone, including myself. I’m hoping this works because I’ve never experienced a potty-mouthed toddler before. I really don’t want this to be the start of his criminal history nor the beginnings of an incorrigible juvenile. I’m not interested in having to look up metal file loaf cake recipes so I can visit him in Juvie. Any suggestions? On the discipline – not the recipes :-).