Familect: the memory and meaning in our weird, family-specific, words often born of the wild minds of children.
Caitlin Gibson, The Washinton Post. September 3, 2025
Along the way, actually last month, I learned the word familect.
While not knowing the definition of familect, I experienced its beginnings over thirty-five years ago. My middle son asked for up-lups at bedtime. When my husband and I had no idea what he wanted and told him so, our son became more insistent. Finally, my husband said, “Show us the up-lups.”
I vividly remember the little finger pointing as my husband carried him down our long hall until the finger pointed to our 1950s pink-tiled bathroom and finally the bathroom cabinet. My husband opened the cabinet, and my son pointed to a bag of cough drops. My husband pulled them out, and our one-year-old helped himself.
We’ve moved beyond smashed potatoes and pupcakes aka cupcakes, but up-lups have remained. And, as Gibson says in her article, familect is a sweet reminder of the simpler days. For our family, it’s when our now-grown son wore red short overalls and was beginning to walk.
May your familect bond and bless your family.
