smart alec
My son is a smart alec. I'd like to say I don't know where he got it, but I do. He got it from me. He listens to everything, and what sounds humorous coming from my husband or from me, sure sounds different coming from the mouth of a 6 year old.
For example, if I'm acting silly in the kitchen, my husband might say "You crazy woman" and look at me affectionately. My son however, will say it and I want to kill him. For example, "It's time to head to bed." And he replies, "I don't think I want to go to bed you crazy woman." Not funny. Not funny at all.
Actually, that's not 100% true. Part of the problem is that he's funny. He's a skinny little kid who talks like a grown up and, at times, it's pretty humorous. He hears, he remembers, he spits back out.
His mouth is certainly going to get him in trouble one of these days, trouble beyond his parents giving him time out or threatening to see him in a garage sale. And it will be hard to explain that he learned it at home, but that we didn't encourage it. Our other children grew up with my same comments, the occasional cuss word, the flippant remark and they never developed the habit inappropriately. So what's with the boy??
What's the joke about the parents' curse, that one day each of us will have a child who behaves just as we did? I might be able to deal with that - but what's up with a child who behaves like a cynical smart assed 40 year old??
For example, if I'm acting silly in the kitchen, my husband might say "You crazy woman" and look at me affectionately. My son however, will say it and I want to kill him. For example, "It's time to head to bed." And he replies, "I don't think I want to go to bed you crazy woman." Not funny. Not funny at all.
Actually, that's not 100% true. Part of the problem is that he's funny. He's a skinny little kid who talks like a grown up and, at times, it's pretty humorous. He hears, he remembers, he spits back out.
His mouth is certainly going to get him in trouble one of these days, trouble beyond his parents giving him time out or threatening to see him in a garage sale. And it will be hard to explain that he learned it at home, but that we didn't encourage it. Our other children grew up with my same comments, the occasional cuss word, the flippant remark and they never developed the habit inappropriately. So what's with the boy??
What's the joke about the parents' curse, that one day each of us will have a child who behaves just as we did? I might be able to deal with that - but what's up with a child who behaves like a cynical smart assed 40 year old??
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