316. JINQY

So Tuesday is Game Night at our house and we’re playing a game called “Bananagrams” (where you essentially try to come up with as many words as possible in a crossword-like configuration), when Short lines up his letters and says, “Is this a word, Mommy?”

(Now, Short is four. He knows all his letters, and he can certainly spell his own name and maybe “cat.” But other than that, he lines up his letters in pretty arrangements, and hopes for the best.)

The word in question is “JINQY.” It looks suspiciously like the name of some new computer program. I am ready to tell Short that no, JINQY is not a real word, when I look into his big blue eyes full of optimism. His brother Tall has already scored about 322 words (including “BAMBOOZLE”).

I hear myself say, “Yes, of course, Short, JINQY is a word.”

I feel three pairs of eyes swivel to me. The Husband and Tall say in unison, “It is?!?”

“Yes,” I confirm nonchalantly, “You know when someone jumps out and scares you and you jump a little and go ‘Agh!’?” (here I pause to demonstrate being scared), “well, that’s JINQY.”

Short is suddenly quite impressed with his newly-discovered word-spelling prowess. “JINQY is a word!” he says to himself, smug.

You know what comes next. The evening quickly deteriorates into a JINQY-fest. Tummy doesn’t feel so good? Must have eaten some bad JINQY. Don’t feel like putting on your pajamas just yet? Nope, you’re too JINQY-ied out. Misplaced your homework? Did you look next to the JINQY?

We finally get Tall and Short into bed (after a bedtime story read by Tall, and full of—you guessed it!—even more JINQY references). I lean over to say prayers with Short and I hear him recite them by heart, adding a sweet little line about, “God, please bless all the JINQYs in the world. Amen.”

Yes, amen to that!

MOV
(“Minefield Of Vowels”)