Forever Family

It does amaze me how much a child’s mind is like a sponge.  Kiddo is constantly absorbing everything around him and learning new things all the time.  In a lot of ways, this is wonderful!  But then there are the other times, when you say or do something without thinking, and before you know it, your adorable 2 year old is running around the house repeating your foul word.  Oopsie! 

My favorite expletetive is fairly benign, but I know how other parents can be.  I don’t want to be the THAT mother who let’s her child run amuck.  I try to control myself and not say it around him, but sometimes it just slips out!  I really don’t mean it!  

So the other day I dropped something, and the word slipped out of my mouth.  “Crap!”  I didn’t even say it that loud.  I wasn’t really all that upset about what I had dropped, but it was an instant reaction!  I didn’t even think!

Wouldn’t ya know it, Kiddo (who wasn’t even in the same room when it happened, yet somehow heard me), starts dancing around the house singing “Crap!  Crap!  Crap!”  Oh great.  Now I’m THAT mom.  Ugh. 

So I’m trying to think fast about how to handle the situation.  We were at the precipice of a learning opporunity.  I knew that reacting too harshly would backfire.  Yet, I couldn’t ignore it.  This had to be handled very delicately.

“Pumpkin, Mommy was not nice to say that.  Not nice at all.”

“You in trouble, Mommy?”

“Yes Kiddo.  Mommy said a bad word.  Not nice.  Mommy in trouble.”

“You go to time out, Mommy.”  This was more of a command from Kiddo.

“OK, I go to time out.”  

This seems to have worked…for now.  He hasn’t said it again and I TRY (really I do) to not say things in front of him that will haunt me later.

My worst fear is that he will go to school and repeat these things to the other kids, who will of course start repeating because they too are ALL little sponges.  Kiddo has come home with some new behaviors and phrases, and for the most part, I can guess which child in his class he learned them from.  He, of course, also tells me.

Some of these copied behaviors that Kiddo brings home are kinda bad.  One day out of the blue, he started punching us in the face.  He would say “I kick-a your butt!”  WTF????  I knew he did NOT learn that at my house!  I’m pretty sure I know which kid he picked THAT up from.  Another one…”Mommy, I shake a booty!”  This is followed by some good tooshie-shakin’.  The first time he did that, I actually died laughing.  It was too funny!  I know, I know.  It’s probably not good for a 2 year old to shake his moneymaker and say “I shake a booty,” but it could be worse!  I am also pretty positive about which child started that fad.

So far, I think the only thing Kiddo has taught his classmates is to play monster.  I’m hoping he hasn’t been singing the Crap song at school.  Yipes!

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