Out of the Mouth of Babes

It seems that it will be only a matter of time before my precious daughter, who recently turned three, says something that makes me want to crawl into a hole. Until recently, her words have kept me chuckling while trying to keep a serious face so as not to insult her little self. It wasn't long ago that the following could be overheard at our house.

Daughter: "Mommy, look!"

I stop what I'm doing and look up to see her slamming a small fabric covered baseball bat on the floor. I'm not exactly sure what I'm supposed to do as it doesn't seem like something really praiseworthy. I mean the child had been slamming things since she was a few months old and could finally grasp something. But, I didn't have to wonder what to do for long as she quickly explained what she was doing.

Daughter: "I'm hitting the floor and not brother's head!"

Me: "Yes, you are hitting the floor." That was all I managed, because really, I was stifling laughter too hard to say anything else. Fortunately, she moved on to another activity before I had to say anything else.

Not much later, she also showed me that she is indeed growing up and learning what it means to be kind, at least how to be kind to rocks.

Daughter: "Mommy, I'm being kind to my rock."

Me: "Oh, how are you being kind to it?"

Daughter: "I'm not eating it or sticking it up my nose."

Me: "Yes, that is a good way to be kind to that rock." This is what I said, but silently I'm wandering why she didn't think to be kind to the raisin, pencil eraser, or small pebble that had previously become acquainted with her nasal passages.

Unfortunately, these funny little exchanges are making their way to things that are a little more embarrassing than they are funny. She is fascinated with telling us about things that are stinky. That is good when she detects her brother's dirty diaper or dog messes that stick to the bottom of shoes. It isn't so good when she tells us we stink or tells us that someone in church stunk. We're working on helping her learn that not everything that passes through her sweet little mind needs to be spoken aloud for all to hear. Of course, we're not naive enough to think that we'll accomplish this anytime soon. Until then, I think that my husband and I are both hoping that it is the other who is with her when she first says something in public that leaves us wanting to ask, "who is this little child who is following me?" In the meantime, I suppose we'll just have to be happy that she isn't eating her brother or trying to put him up her nose!