One very common technique of parents is to spell words so that their child has no idea what they are saying. As A has grown older, he has clued into this trick of the trade. Here is a typical exchange:
Me, to J: Where did you have lunch? At M-c-d-o-n-a-l-d-s?
A: What did you say?
Me: If I wanted you to know, I would have said the word, and not spelled it.
A: Oh.
Several weeks ago, we had decided to treat ourselves (and damn our cholesterol levels) by getting a dinner from Kentucky Fried Chicken, which, of course, is usually referred to simply as KFC. So when I reminded J to stop by KFC on his way back from running errands, A said "I know, you don't want me to know what you are saying." HAH! We then explained that no, in this case the name of the restaurant was spelled out!
We fully understand that our days of using spelling as subterfuge are limited as A learns more and more. But as long as we can do it, we will!
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