Lovers, Haters and Dead Fish
We have all heard the cliché “Children say the darndest things” and as parents we simply are forced by everyday life to accept the fact that there is legitimate reasoning for why that stupid saying exists.
I am not talking about a child says that they want to be a dinosaur when they grow up as this is something that all kids say at some point, whether it be a dinosaur, a princess, Spider-Man or whatever they are into. I am speaking about the things that, in reality, are supposed to be above a child’s head, things that children do not truly understand the meanings to or are supposed to keep opinionated to themselves. Like when a child blurts out at the store in the middle of a crowded check out line, that ‘the cashier is really fat and that she never wants to get fat like her.’
These are the things the leak out of children’s mouths causing humiliation for naïve intolerance of differences or extreme hilarity due to obscure nature of the comment.
Parents of children in this day and age are very aware of the daunting task we have at hand as our children, whether we like it or not, are continuously being exposed to things at younger ages, regardless of how hard we work at shielding them from these things. We must come to terms with this fact as the media and propaganda that surrounds us is never ending. An innocent ride on the school bus on a child’s way to school is exposed to obscene lyrics by other vehicles on the road blaring their stereos, billboards with provocative advertisements, and even technology on the bus itself as children are possessing cell phones and iPods at earlier ages, have streaming you tube videos and internet access. But we cannot blind fold and ear-muff our children. We just have to prepare them the best we know how for the outside world and just go with the punches.
As many parents learn, especially those with younger children, is that we must learn to watch what we say. Not just avoiding swears, but even things that are not considered swearing but just inappropriate or a bad example, as our children pick up on everything, especially the items we didn’t even realize they heard.
My children have proven to be sponges.
One evening we were in the car heading home. The kids were in the back seat staring out the window and my husband and I were arguing over something. By arguing, I mean we were not in a fight or yelling, we were just having a conversation and had different opinions on the matter.
My four year old daughter must have been ease dropping on us at the time and she had decided she wanted to comment on the conversation.
“Daddy, you’re being a hater….” she blurted out with the exact attitude you would expect of someone to have while saying that. What?!? Where did she learn that one? This little girl, sitting in the back seat, looking so innocent in her little pink ballet dress, blonde pig-tails and hugging her “blankey” – Did she really just say that? I cannot recall a single time of myself or my husband ever muttering those words…. Quickly, between the snickering I was trying to hold in for the fact that she not only called her father out, and the joy she sided with me for once on something (even though our conversation had nothing to do with her), I told her not to say that anymore and to apologize for not being nice to her father.
To say the least it was quite hilarious though.
I shouldn’t be surprised by this event as she seems to pick up on things and has shared her thoughts since an even earlier age.
On her second birthday, we bought a “Nemo” shaped piñata and stuffed it full of goodies. After hanging it from a tree branch all of her little playmates and their parents circled around and watched as she took the first turn to whack Nemo with a stick.
Swing.
Miss.
“Oh Sh*t!”
All of the adults froze and stare in disbelief at one another. I could feel my face turning bright red in embarrassment.
Did we hear what we thought we heard?
Did my daughter just say a swear word?
Yes…
Luckily the other parents seemed to find the situation quite funny and all burst into laughter. I, on the other hand, was completely embarrassed as how I was being judged as a parent.
Once all the small kids took a turn, to no success, we allowed my brother-in-law to take a swing which successfully split open the piñata. This created more hysteria.
“Nemo!! You killed Nemo!!” My daughter shrieked as tears rolled down her face. This, coming from the same little girl who blurted out swears when she missed whacking this same precious Nemo with a stick!
It was all caught on tape….
I am not talking about a child says that they want to be a dinosaur when they grow up as this is something that all kids say at some point, whether it be a dinosaur, a princess, Spider-Man or whatever they are into. I am speaking about the things that, in reality, are supposed to be above a child’s head, things that children do not truly understand the meanings to or are supposed to keep opinionated to themselves. Like when a child blurts out at the store in the middle of a crowded check out line, that ‘the cashier is really fat and that she never wants to get fat like her.’
These are the things the leak out of children’s mouths causing humiliation for naïve intolerance of differences or extreme hilarity due to obscure nature of the comment.
Parents of children in this day and age are very aware of the daunting task we have at hand as our children, whether we like it or not, are continuously being exposed to things at younger ages, regardless of how hard we work at shielding them from these things. We must come to terms with this fact as the media and propaganda that surrounds us is never ending. An innocent ride on the school bus on a child’s way to school is exposed to obscene lyrics by other vehicles on the road blaring their stereos, billboards with provocative advertisements, and even technology on the bus itself as children are possessing cell phones and iPods at earlier ages, have streaming you tube videos and internet access. But we cannot blind fold and ear-muff our children. We just have to prepare them the best we know how for the outside world and just go with the punches.
As many parents learn, especially those with younger children, is that we must learn to watch what we say. Not just avoiding swears, but even things that are not considered swearing but just inappropriate or a bad example, as our children pick up on everything, especially the items we didn’t even realize they heard.
My children have proven to be sponges.
One evening we were in the car heading home. The kids were in the back seat staring out the window and my husband and I were arguing over something. By arguing, I mean we were not in a fight or yelling, we were just having a conversation and had different opinions on the matter.
My four year old daughter must have been ease dropping on us at the time and she had decided she wanted to comment on the conversation.
“Daddy, you’re being a hater….” she blurted out with the exact attitude you would expect of someone to have while saying that. What?!? Where did she learn that one? This little girl, sitting in the back seat, looking so innocent in her little pink ballet dress, blonde pig-tails and hugging her “blankey” – Did she really just say that? I cannot recall a single time of myself or my husband ever muttering those words…. Quickly, between the snickering I was trying to hold in for the fact that she not only called her father out, and the joy she sided with me for once on something (even though our conversation had nothing to do with her), I told her not to say that anymore and to apologize for not being nice to her father.
To say the least it was quite hilarious though.
I shouldn’t be surprised by this event as she seems to pick up on things and has shared her thoughts since an even earlier age.
On her second birthday, we bought a “Nemo” shaped piñata and stuffed it full of goodies. After hanging it from a tree branch all of her little playmates and their parents circled around and watched as she took the first turn to whack Nemo with a stick.
Swing.
Miss.
“Oh Sh*t!”
All of the adults froze and stare in disbelief at one another. I could feel my face turning bright red in embarrassment.
Did we hear what we thought we heard?
Did my daughter just say a swear word?
Yes…
Luckily the other parents seemed to find the situation quite funny and all burst into laughter. I, on the other hand, was completely embarrassed as how I was being judged as a parent.
Once all the small kids took a turn, to no success, we allowed my brother-in-law to take a swing which successfully split open the piñata. This created more hysteria.
“Nemo!! You killed Nemo!!” My daughter shrieked as tears rolled down her face. This, coming from the same little girl who blurted out swears when she missed whacking this same precious Nemo with a stick!
It was all caught on tape….
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