I'm not going to pretend we don't let an expletive or two slip out of our mouths every so often. We're not that family who uses 'those words' as daily adjectives of choice or anything but we aren't unfamiliar with 'those words'.
My grandmother had one word she used in certain situations. Her word of choice was the 's' word- sh*t. My brothers and I would occasionally utter, "Oh, Grandmother's word!" when an expletive was warranted which drove my mother NUTS! She would yell at us that was the same thing as saying the word itself! to no avail because hey, grandmothers know best.)
Apparently, the apple doesn't fall far from the grandmother tree in this family.
When Bug was just saying a word or ten here and there, I was trying to turn off the ceiling fan one day while holding her which made the task interesting and I pulled the wrong chain. "Well, sh*t!" fell out of my mouth before I even realized what had happened and for a brief fraction of a second thought it would pass by without notice. WRONG. "Sh*t, sh*t, sh*t" were the next words I heard and they didn't come from my mouth and there was only one other human in the room. Uh-oh.
Why is it when babies are able to utter only a handful of intelligible words they have no trouble
repeating the one expletive the one time it slips out of our mouths? We know it's going to happen because most of us have either done it ourselves or know someone who has.
About one week later, Bug and her mom were here visiting Mother because OF COURSE this whole thing would happen while Mother was living here and when Bug accidentally knocked something over on a table she said, clear as day, "Oh, sh*t!"
Luckily I had already confessed the earlier incident to my daughter so she chuckled knowing what was coming next.
Mother: What in the world has your mother been teaching you?!
My Daughter: It wasn't me (while pointing toward the kitchen)
Mother: Oh, what has grandma been teaching you, then?!
I'd be lying if I said we didn't get a big laugh and share some fun memories of grandmother. I'd also be lying if I said I would feel much better had anyone else in the family been the one have expletive slippage in front of Bug but they didn't. I'd also again be lying if I said the main reason I wish someone else had faux pas-ed is because living this down will take forever. What are you gonna do? We're not perfect people and I really wouldn't want to be anyway.
Because sh*t happens.
My kid often use the word which your grandmother use...
ReplyDeleteAlways delightful, isn't it? :)
DeleteIt is So True that kids pick up and remember the one thing you wish they wouldn't!! To this day my 34 year old daughter remembers the one time I advised her not to get a certain haircut because 'it can make your head look like a pumpkin.' Does she remember all the wonderfully affirming things I said to her daily??? And re your story, the little grands pick up words from the older grands and repeat them ad nauseum, and especially when and where you wish they wouldn't!
ReplyDeleteHahaha! My girls remember a couple things like that and I hope I live them down before I die. LOL Oh gosh, I guess Marcy will be teaching Roland a few things. Yikes! LOL
DeleteThanks, Judy!
lol I've heard my grandson say the same thing. Thankfully, it wasn't me he heard it from. Although, I'm sure he'll pick up plenty of other things from me, like maybe attitude and sarcasm. lol
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, we'll never be able to narrow down where Marcy gets the attitude and sarcasm as we all have ample of each to share. LOL
DeleteI hear my grand kids using words that just our families have used. It really is funny sometimes. Other times well not so much. Have a great weekend Pam.
ReplyDeleteYep. Sitting around with just the fam is one thing. Out in public is quite another. LOL Hope y'all are well!
DeleteIt sure does happen. I say that word more than I should, I know that for a fact. What you write here is truth, Pam! And when we laugh at the little ones, they just want to say it more loudly and more often!
ReplyDeleteTerri! You do not! LOL We're all trying to watch our mouths now.
DeleteOh my, that's too cute!
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteIt's nice when the slip of a "bad" word is the biggest offense. Slipping out these words is not nearly as bad as losing your temper and flying off the handle. I think these "bad" words might act as a relief value for our emotions.
ReplyDeletePossibly. I know I hated it when the girls' dad lost his temper and flew off the handle. I got in his face many times about that. My dad flew off the handle, too and I never liked it. I think that's why I got in my husband's face about it. He got himself under control but there's just no sense in that.
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