Remember the Coneheads? From the old Saturday Night Live when John Belushi was still alive? I have referred to my parents (and all parents) as “parental units” (PU’s) ever since 1977. Dad is PPU – Paternal Parental Unit, and Mom is MPU. Other expressions I still use which I stole from the Coneheads include: family unit, consume mass quantities, and proceed human.
Obviously, that’s where Lois Lowry got the expression “family unit.” 
The other day, in my girls’ club class (20 girls/7 boys), we were laughing about that expression; family unit. I mentioned that I, even today, call my parents my PU’s. Haha and so forth.
So today, one girl raises her hand during our Giver Q/A session and says that she told her parents over dinner about our discussion that day. I guess her little sister (I think she said she was four, but I’ll get back to you on that) really liked the sound of “parental units.”
“And now that’s all she’ll call my mom and dad; parental units.”
“That’s so great.”
“Well, the problem is that once she gets a phrase or something like that stuck in her head, she’s like addicted to it. And she’ll keep saying it, all the time, for at least a month.”
“Even better.”
I believe my work here is done.
(Update: She’s a precocious 2 year old.)
