Out Of The Mouth Of Babes

Over the years, I have heard many funny, sometimes embarrassing, comments made by children.  The things they say are not meant to be hurtful or insulting.  Young children are trying their best to figure out the world and their remarks are their take on things.

I was teaching preschool years ago, and the class was in circle time singing songs.  A little boy raised his hand and said, “Ms. Maggie please don’t sing, you’re hurting my ears!”  I just laughed because really, I don’t have the best singing voice!  My husband found the comment particularly funny and still reminds me of it from time to time! 

Another time when I was teaching preschool a mom came up to me and told me what her daughter had said the night before.  I guess it was around the time that ‘The Little Mermaid’ was becoming popular.  She said, “Mommy is Ms. Maggie’s hair as long as Ariel’s?”  My hair was pretty long back then, and I found it flattering to be compared to a beloved Disney character.

My son watched Sesame Street frequently as a toddler.  I would record it so I could limit the amount of TV that he watched.  He especially liked the last half hour – Grover, Elmo, and the end.  At the end they would incorporate the letter and number of the day.  Sometimes Gordon would be on playing the role of “Trash Gordon,” a super hero garbage man.  Gordon is a bold black man.  For a few months, every time my son saw a bold, black man he would point and say, “Trash Gordon!”  Just what you want your kid to say when you’re walking through the mall!  After many talks about how all bald, black men were not Trash Gordon, it finally sunk in!

All week we I have been driving back and forth to nature camp.  Paige goes in the morning and Charlotte in the afternoon with an hour in between.  To cut down on gas, we pack a picnic lunch and eat at the camp.  A few other families do the same.  As we were sitting on the blanket, Paige pointed to one of the other moms and said, “She looks like a boy, but she’s a girl.”  Great, just what every woman wants to hear!  Now just for the record, the woman had short hair.  I had to explain to Paige that not all women have long hair and also that it’s not nice to say comments like that out loud, reminding her to save them till we were alone.  I don’t know if the other mom heard Paige or not, but I didn’t look at her to find out! 

Just a few days ago Paige was sitting in front of the digital picture frame watching pictures go by.  She saw a picture of Soda (our now deceased cat).  In the picture Paige was holding Soda, or rather squeezing her, and I was sitting next to her.  The picture was taken about two and a half years ago.  Paige said, “Mommy, I wish you still looked like this.  You were so pretty.”  So how do I look now?!  Geez, the picture was only taken a few years ago!

Kids do say some funny things.