Think Before You What?

Most of you I’m sure have heard someone (probably your parents) say you are going to “pay for your raising”. My mother has said it to me since the day she found out I was pregnant and boy she was right. Every chance my mom gets she tells the story about how I embarrassed her beyond redemption when I was a mere 6 years old. The story goes a little something like this…

My mom and I were home one night and her friend Helen came to visit. When my mom went to answer the door, I followed right behind her. Helen came in and I stood in the doorway and gazed outside. Suddenly I turned around and said “Mommy who’s ugly green car is that parked outside?” “Mommy that car is the ugliest car I’ve ever seen!” All mom could say was “hush Stephanie, just hush!” Needless to say when Helen left I got a nice long lecture about thinking before I speak.

Fast forward 29 years and here I am. Now I too have a 6 year old with an opinion of his own and no “off“ switch. His “motor mouth” really got cranked up about 6 months ago. He started off small with simple things like “Man, look at that woman! She sure is tall!” Then he progressed to “Mom, she looks like she is going to have 2 babies!”. Of course the “think before you speak” sermon rolls off my tongue like butter and has been given on more than one occasion.

He has toned it down a little and 90% of the time he manages to share his “opinions” with only me. Now, the bad part about being the parent is that I want to laugh when he says some of the stuff he says, but that only makes it worse. Sometimes he says out loud what I’m thinking and that is when I can’t control my laughter! That’s why deep down I know my mom didn’t like that green car either. No self respecting car owner would have! I digress.

All of this leads me to last Saturday. The kids, mom and I were going down the road and mom started talking to Carter about him being named after his great grandfather, so the conversation goes…

Mom: “Carter, did you know you were named after your great grandfather?”
Carter: “Uh?”
Mom: “Your great grandfather. Ya know, my daddy. Your mother’s papaw.”
Carter: “Oh!”
Carter: “Was he a preacher?”
Mom: “No, why?”
Carter: “Well, he was old.”
Mom: “What does that have to do with anything?”
Carter: “I thought all old men were preachers.”
Me: “Uh! Carter! Brother Joel is our preacher and he is the same age as your daddy!”
Carter: “I know mommy, that’s what I’m saying…old!”

Needless to say, I still can not find that “off” switch!