Be Careful Little Mouth What You Say

Oh my . . . . . .  for years I've listened to my mother tell the same story over and over of the day that I said my first "profanity".  It has always been very funny to me thinking of me, as a child, out of pure innocence saying a cuss word.  My first experience, as told to me was when I was two years old.  I have no recollection of this day, but my mother describes it with such detail that I almost feel like I remember it.  It was a Sunday . . . . .  as all Sundays in ANY family they can be incredibly hectic and stressful at times.  We had just gotten home from church and as most, I'm sure my mother was running around trying to get lunch ready so we could hurry up and get our naps.  On this particular day my mother had dressed me in a frilly petticoat type dress (as I'm sure was the going rage at the time) with ruffled bloomers.  I'm sure in her mind I was probably THE CUTEST kid at church.  However, I must have had a different opinion.  As mom was running around the house trying to give some semblance of peace to our day I stopped her dead in her tracks.  I proceeded to toddle up to her with my hands on my hips amongst the ruffles to tell her that "These d__n panties ITCH!"  She tells the story of the shock and then hilariousness of the situation.  You know that point, the one where you feel like busting out laughing, yet you suddenly remember that you are the mother and you HAVE to be an adult.

These times are REALLY hard for me.  I still feel like a kid myself.  At times, I find it very hard to believe that anyone would trust me to keep their children much less raise my very own.  Luckily, the above situation of your child letting out their first cuss word has not yet happened . . . . . . . . .  HOWEVER, yesterday I had a first.  Keller, our oldest child, has always been very obedient and, for the most part, quick to stop something if you let him know that it is wrong.  What an easy life!!!!  Then our sweet little Ms McKendry came along.  HELLO FEMALE!!!!  You know what I'm talking about- the flirtatious looks that are supposed to make whatever she is doing behind her back okay.  Some of it has not surprised me at all, I'm female. . . . . I understand those thoughts and the way that it's almost inbreed in us to push the envelope a bit. Needless to say, my parenting is a bit different with a girl.  I have to be VERY aware of when I tell her no and the consistency of sticking with what I say.  I also found I have to be VERY aware of what I say in front of those sweet little ears.

Yesterday, as I was cooking breakfast, McKendry sat in front of "her"cabinet doing her usual.  She was dragging every plastic cup out and playing with all the spare sippy cups.  This is part of our "routine"; No different.  That's when I heard it . . . . . ."OOOHHHHH DDDOOOOSSSSSHHHHH" Well, that's a new one, I thought, what did she say.  I stopped what I was doing to look down and really pay attention.  Then again, as she was struggling to unscrew a top off of a sippy cup, in a grumbly very frustrated voice she says "OOOOOHHHHHH DDOOOOSSSSSSHHHHH!"  I had never heard that kind of rumble in her voice or for that matter that kind of frustration.  It was quite funny watching her.  She wasn't mad just baffled at how to get the top off of the sippy cup.  In her frustration this phrase kept spilling out of her mouth in a voice so foreign to me that I was laughing out loud.  It was funny, but then I realized she was mirroring my frustration and getting that same tone in her voice that I do when I totally loose my patience with her, Keller, or for that matter Bobby.  She was saying "Oh Gosh!"  WOW!  What a slap in the face.  Such a small little girl, not even two, yet she was speaking such harsh and "adult" words . . . What to do?  I sat back hoping it was just a freak event that she was saying this phrase.  Now that 24 hours have transpired and I've heard it multiple times I realize it's stuck.  Yeah it's funny, but is it really?  Nope.  I feel like a heel.  She heard that from me, not TV, not her brother, not her father but ME! Sounds very mild and innocent. I'll admit that I have laughed to myself many of the times that she has said it.  Not at the phrase, but the cute way she says it.  It's really kind of adorable.  I'm just being honest.  Today, I did decide to look up the definition of gosh to prepare myself for the talk that we will have to have to reverse this phrase: Gosh - an exclamation of mild surprise or wonder. Hmmmm, didn't seem so bad, then the origin of the word just about jumped off the page-  euphemistic alteration of God.  


Bobby and I have now discussed the situation and decided at her age she isn't going to truly UNDERSTAND why this is wrong. Her brother, on the other hand, does.  This will be a lesson for him.  An opportunity for me to show Keller that I mess up daily.  An opportunity tonight, as we pray as a family, to ask God to forgive me.  I NEED my children to understand that I DON'T expect perfection from them, and that I will NEVER judge them. I want them to understand God is our friend. I don't want my children to feel that He is unapproachable.  I grew up so many times being scared when I messed up thinking God would be MAD at me.  God loves us and smiles upon us when we learn from our mistakes!!!  Thank you God, once again, for teaching me soooo much through the eyes of my children!

So as those precious little eyes look at me each day, PLEASE God let my eyes look up to You to guide me each step of the way!!!!!