One Small Thing – Create Your Family Dictionary

One small thing is a series of short posts that I am writing for myself as much as anyone else during this pandemic. You can find the other pieces from the series here.

Create Your Family Dictionary:

Find a notebook. It doesn’t need to be fancy.

Write “‘Your Surname Here’s Family Dictionary” on the front.

Write the alphabet, letter by letter in the top right hand corner of each right page.

Fill with words that are your family’s own. The mispronouncing of your children when they were toddlers (Blu-Blees), and the results of word games that stuck (chucka-wuckas – which is what we all now call chickens.) The words that are part of your family culture.

Explain what the words mean. And add the name of the person who invented the word.

Keep the notebook around, both to look over and enjoy, and to add to over time.

Enjoy the culture of your family.