Monday, April 11, 2011

I is for Impertinence

One of my daughter's 9th grade vocabulary words two weeks ago was "impertinence," which her book defined as rude disrespect.  Of all the words, this was the one that she couldn't remember.

My daughter is a teenager. Impertinence is the hallmark trait of teens. The word was quite likely invented to describe one.  My daughter is a really amazing, talented, loving kid, but I still get a daily dose of impertinence from her.

To help her set this very useful word in her long-term memory, I have taken to screaming, "Impertinence!" whenever she sasses me even a little - yes, even in public.  I also have adopted a house rule we like to call, "Chores for Impertinence."  But I never enforce it.  She always laughs and the impertinence immediately melts away.

5 comments:

  1. Five daughters equals twenty-five times the impertinence. Love your rule.

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  2. Hehe, that's a fantastic way of getting her to remember the word--and make the impertinence fade away. :D

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  3. Very clever parenting and voc building.

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  4. That's a great rule! Like most, it works best on the rule-maker. Luckily, most kids grow out of impertinence.

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  5. Thanks for all your comments. In particular I feel for Shelly for enduring impertinence times five....

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