No I Amn't

Andrew and I don't have a big history or tons of experience with children before our little whipper snappers came along. So sometimes we're not sure if what our kids are doing is "normal" or "advanced" or even "freakish." But to us, this latest Joshua-ism seems to fall more under the freakishly smart category, but please correct us if we're wrong. Joshua has invented a new word. Not even a new word, really, but a new contraction. Amn't, as in am not. Since this isn't a real word as defined by Webster, I have found myself wondering, why not? "Are not" contract. "Is not" contract. Why not "Am not". Okay, maybe it doesn't roll of the tongue as well as "I'm not" and that's probably why those geniuses that came up with the English language decided to go that route instead. In pondering how he conjured up this word, we concluded that he really understands how contractions are formed well enough to think, "well, I haven't really heard anyone say this, but it makes sense to me." We stand with our verdict that he is a stinkin' smart little boy.