Shannon Philpott-Sanders

Silly Little Pumpkin Pie Deliciousness

I’ve never been crazy about pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread or even pumpkin-flavored ice cream treats, but I do have a fascination with the word “pumpkin.” Ever since my daughter was born, she has been my pumpkin. And when my son came along, he became my pumpkin pie.

Twelve years later and I still call them my pumpkins. I text them with embarrassing lovey-dovey notes such as ‘How is my peppy slice of pumpkin pie deliciousness’ and ‘Mommy loves her pumpkin doodle.’

They act like they absolutely hate my terms of endearment, but when I see a smirk on their faces as they read it, there is no denying that they love the pumpkin-filled attention.

The terms of endearment are not solely stemmed from the satisfaction of embarrassing two pre-teens – it is more about showing them that life can be silly, fun and a little more brassy and bright at times.

We all need these random acts of silliness when life is too serious, whether it is at home, at work, in the newsroom or in the classroom. When deadlines and production gets the best of my newspaper staff, it always breaks the ice when someone says something off the wall and random (and that happens frequently). It helps to break out in song or dub a nickname, such as chick-a-dee or “the kavahn” to a random student.

When students get extremely stressed about grades and assignments, I don’t mind being the one to break the ice and say something ridiculous and potentially embarrassing in front of a class of 25, just as it breaks up the momentum for my children when I tell them that they are the most fluffy, flaky and perfectly golden slice of pumpkin pie around.

I’m not sure what ‘terms of endearment’ most have for me, but if it makes me giggle when life gets too serious, bring it on.

– Shannon Philpott
Blog Entry: March 6, 2011

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March 6, 2011 - Posted by sphilpott | Blog, Parenting, Reflecting, Teaching | education, motherhood, parenting, pumpkin pie, pumpkins, Teaching, terms of endearment