A Case for Vocabulary

    My husband is a vocabularist.  I don't even think that's a word, but that is what he is.  He loves to use odd, old, funky, unusual words and phrases.  I have a notebook on my nightstand to write down the vocabulary he uses, because I love to look back and have a good chuckle.  His interjections are the best.  When he hits his thumb with a hammer, he says "Sweet Mother McCready!"  If something is surprising, he will say "Sweet Land o' Goshen!"  He calls our children 'vermin' in a very loving way.  Some days they are 'miscreants' or 'ne're-do-wells'.  Luckily, our kids know their dad well, and also enjoy his vocabularist status. 
    Once, after reading a book on the importance of teaching kids vocabulary, I decided to shake things up a bit around the house.  Instead of hollering, "Time for PJ's!", I changed it to "The hour has arrived to don your nocturnal attire!"  My children said, "What?", and then got their PJ's on.  This continued for months, and always brought a smile. We encourage them to be creative in their descriptive word choice, and we discuss words that fit any situation best.  Building vocabulary is not just a subject reserved for school.
    My oldest daughter wrote a paper for her college English class.  She used the word 'plethora' and her professor made a big deal of it in front of the class.  A fine example of excellent vocabulary choice in writing, he said.  She was surprised, and responded with "Sweet land o' Goshen!  Thanks!" 

---