So My Kids Think They’re British :: “The Peppa Effect”
We all pick up colloquialisms from somewhere or someone. I met one of my best friends when we both lived in Baton Rouge. She was from Abbeville and when she used the phrase, “get down,” as in “get out of your car,” it immediately became part of my vernacular (mind you this was years before we would ever move to Lafayette where “getting down” is a daily occurrence).
So when my kids started speaking British colloquialisms, I knew just where it came from. You guessed it – Peppa Pig. In fact, there is a whole phenomenon called “The Peppa Effect.”
It’s quite hilarious to hear and makes me wonder why these are the words they mimic. One minute they are all American, the next they are channeling their inner Brit, asking to watch the “telly” and fighting over who gets to press the buttons for the “lift.”
I first noticed the British invasion during Thanksgiving break.
My son promptly asked, “Where are we going on holiday for Thanksgiving?” I thought perhaps he meant what are we doing over the Thanksgiving holiday, but when I asked him to clarify, he casually answered, “Are we going on holiday to Grandma’s or the beach or the mountains?” Yeah, dude, we will holiday in the Swiss Alps this winter.
Recently, I asked my daughter to help me put away her clothes. She schooled me on where all her garments lived in what drawers. “And this one is for swimming costumes,” she pointed to a drawer full of bathing suits. I mean, a costume does sound way more fun than a suit.
My kids love to play pretend – school (even though they fuss going to the real thing every morning), mom and dad (this one turns into a bit of self-reflection), and naptime (really?!). The other day they were playing store through the open window, and I overheard, “That will be two pounds please.” This one really caught me off guard, because last month during this game they were charging dollar bucks. I guess their shop relocated from Bluey’s Australia hometown to Peppa’s European house on the hill. Maybe on holiday, I’ll teach them about exchange rates.
The newest British term came out on the way to soccer practice. My son was taking photos with his camera (mostly of me driving), and he announced, “I’m going to take a picture of the big sign when we get on the speedway.” As we merged onto Highway 90, cars whizzing past, I thought, well, that’s fitting.
