That's "Mama" to You, Son

Grant and I are choosing our words carefully these days. Eliot's picking up on LOTS of things we say, maybe even too many things ... like my name. This weekend, since Grant was around and calling for me and talking to me, Eliot picked up on the fact that Grant (naturally) calls me Monica. So it wasn't long before Eliot started calling me "Mon-ca," and he hasn't stopped since. I've noticed he is quick to resort to "Mon-ca" if he's not getting my attention fast enough. It's hard not to giggle when my child calls me by my first name, but I have this sick sense that allowing him to do so would be a major slide backward on my already slipping role as authority figure around here (since my two-going-on-twenty-year-old son seems to think he's the real boss these days). So, really, I'm trying to keep a straight face everytime Eliot says "Mon-ca" and quickly tell him, "No, Mama."