little pitchers, big ears

big mouths, too. I would guess that every mom has that moment when she realizes she's said something she shouldn't because those words come back out her child's mouth. I've known this time was coming since Daniel was about a year old, and I'd cover his ears whn my husband let fly with "*%^&$#."
The best story I have about this is from when I was pregnant and my husband and I went to a party. I got tired and went to lie down in the host's guest room. I could hear all the kids at the party in the next room, watching "Shreck." Of course, Shreck uses the Biblically accepted name for Donkey, and the kids were all giggles. "oooh, he said A!"
And the hosts' daughter pipes up "so what, he said a**!"
"Oooh, you said a bad word!" the other kids were astounded.
"So what, we're not in school," came the sage reply.
From my listening post I thought, smart kid.
Actually, smart mom. She'd taught her children that some language is not appropriate for outside the home, or in "polite company." And in a society where our kids are bound to be exposed to "bad" language (sometimes by dad and pop-pop), we moms might as well start teaching politeness and etiquette while our little pitchers' ears are still delicate.
--Misty