# Why are my kids so embarrassing?!!?



## Jackpackbaby (Oct 9, 2006)

This has nothing whatsoever to do with homeschool but since is the only forum I ever go into I thought you could all appreciate this. I was shopping with my DD, 2, yesterday and as we were perusing the bread aisle Stella noticed a man standing next to us and points at him and loudly says "Bwack Abama!" "pwesdent!" (spelling phonetically of course)!







At this point the man looks at me and I turn scarlett wanting the floor to just swallow me up right then and there. I just stammered out an apology of how she loves Barack Obama and says this of all men







I don't mention that she seems to only say this of black men because that would have been even more incredibly mortifying. I mean, it isn't as though she doesn't see black people all. the. time. Our neighbors, friends, schoolmates are black but she just has this thing about Obama. She LOVES him. When does this phase end???


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## savvybabygrace (Feb 15, 2007)

My dd loves Obama as well and points him out in every single picture, book, poster, shirt, etc. that she sees.
I think it's great! I think you should just take your dd saying this as a sign that she's using some sort of identifying feature to make a comparison and similarity between people.


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## lotusdebi (Aug 29, 2002)

My 2 year old has done the same thing, but with a guy who works at the bank. I was embarrassed, but he said he was flattered and got a kick out of it.


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## number572 (Aug 25, 2004)

If this will help you... I was in the market after working hard & sweating all day. I had worked with paint that was in a sprayer & it was windy, so everywhere on my face/neck was speckled with paint except for the parts that were covered by my safety mask (eyes & nose). And my hair was pulled back but the sides had slipped out, resembling a dog's ears... see where this is going??

I heard a little voice excitedly saying "wow wow, mama, mira, WOW WOW.. OOF!" repeating it a few times. I look up & this little girl was pointing directly at me saying this (translation to english from spanish is "dog, mama, look, a DOG... WOOF!").

omgoodness, I was laughing so hard... definitely NOT offended. I did resemble a dog I suppose, from a kid's perspective. lol. Her mom tried to hush her at first but saw me laughing about it too, so she laughed. Kids just have a different perspective on things. hth!

On another note, my nephew insisted that tomatoes, strawberries and anything else red was an APPLE for a while when he was learning fruits/veggies/colors.


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## MamaMonica (Sep 22, 2002)

Moved to Parenting.


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## Katwoman (Apr 15, 2004)

That is a good question!

My youngest brother was about 3 when he approached an AA mama and asked her if she could take her son's snowsuit off. When she asked why, he replied he wanted to know if the baby was "that color" all over.

I swear they just get focused on the one thing they are thinking about. Meanwhile we're cursed with all sorts of thoughts running through our heads after they speak.


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## Dandelionkid (Mar 6, 2007)

yes- i hear you- although the president is such a great guy to be mistaken for- i wouldn't be too embarrassed









my 5 yr old dd announced as she entered the dentist waiting room "my vulva feels tickly sometimes". She has a very loud voice and i was SO thankful no one was in the room!


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## RoseDuperre (Oct 15, 2007)

My daughter's first word was Obama.


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## JD5351 (Sep 13, 2008)

I had my friends little girl who was 2 at the time at Dairy Queen one day, we were sitting in a booth..

A man walked in, and she stood up on the bench and started jumping up and down and yelled "YAYYYYY! DADDY!!!!"

Her dad is about 5'4, with blond hair..

This man was about 6' tall and dark hair...

All I could think of was this man thinks that she does not know who her own father is...lol









I also had her at the grocery store about a year later and we were in the checkout line and didn't notice she was picking her nose while I was unloading the cart...Until she announced.."I have TWO boooogers on one of my fingers.."


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## Super Glue Mommy (Jan 4, 2009)

perhaps you can ask why you are so embarrased instead of why they are so embarrasing?









but I think that sounds cute! I feel embarrased by my kids sometimes too! In retrospect its really cute and innocent though isnt it? Not sure when it ends, my friends feel embarrased by me sometimes too, and me by them!


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## allgirls (Apr 16, 2004)

My daughter asked me once on a city bus "why does that woman had an earing in her nose?". She was wearing traditional dress and I believe she was Hindu but I'm not an expert in other cultures.

I smiled and said "because different people like different things and do different things and look different and that's the best thing about humans". And the lady smiled and my daughter was happy with the answer. We had a friendly exchange and that was it.

She was 5 or 6 at the time. She's now 18 and has a nose piercing..lol.

Allgirls.


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## Anglyn (Oct 25, 2004)

Well, my dd one day announced loudly that there as a fat black lady in the aisle at the dollar store....

talk about mortified.

I dont know which was worse, the racial issue or the weight issue, I wanted to fall throug the floor, I wanted to rush over and explain that she has mixed cousins and my best friend is black and I swear to god shes not racist and she doesnt see "fat" as a bad thing, her grandfather always pats his belly and says he's fat and she pats hers and says she wishes she were fat.....

At my home, fat just means well nourished and black is merely descriptive, just as it would be for your hair or your shirt (she actually thinks that dh is black becuase of the deep tan he gets working outside all summer, we cant convince her he's white and since he is darker than his nephews who are mixed and call themselves black, we've decided to give it up, she wins that argument for now, lol!)

She was only desribing what she saw, in her innocence she knows no negative connotations to what she is saying and only means it as an observation, the same as see the brown dog or see the red car......

It's actually ashame that we have to worry about our children describing the color of someones skin, its only normal for them to comment on what they see and there is certainly nothing wrong with being black. And as the adults, we are the ones who put that there, like the time my oldest child, while waiting for the nurse, asked me, "what color is she" and I had this wild moment of panic wondering when and where and how he picked that up, why would he ask that? How do I respond? Why does it matter? He got tired of waiting onmy reply and explained himself,"you know, Im red, youre yellow, what color is she?" it took me a second....he was describing shirt color.....


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## savannah smiles (May 4, 2004)

I'd take the Obama comment over my 3 yr old screaming "pirate" while pointing to an elderly man wearing an eye patch!


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## LauraN (May 18, 2004)

My 18 month old was in his stroller at the checkout counter when he noticed a man in line in front of us. He put his arms up towards him like he wanted to be picked up and said loudly, "Dada! Dada!"

The guy looked nothing like DH, and he sort of chuckled nervously and said, "maybe he should spend more time with his real Dada." Um, yeah.


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## Breeder (May 28, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *savannah smiles* 
I'd take the Obama comment over my 3 yr old screaming "pirate" while pointing to an elderly man wearing an eye patch!

My son has done this too! (around 3 as well.) I called out, "He means that as a compliment!"


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## sunshine1793 (Oct 29, 2007)

Regarding the comment about the 'fat black lady', could you say 'Yes, and isn't she beautiful!' or something? Would that be appropriate?


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## ~pi (May 4, 2005)

: over this thread.

DS (2 y.o.) insists that all men on bicycles are Daddy and must be greeted! Loudly! It has made for more than a few embarrassing situations.


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## annamama (Sep 23, 2005)

DS saw an elderly man with white hair and a white beard. The man was short and bent over slightly. DS *screamed* excitedly, "GNOME! GNOME!!!"
Yes, he did look like a gnome. Yes, it was embarrassing.


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## cappuccinosmom (Dec 28, 2003)

My 2 yo calls every tall black man "Baba". They look like his daddy to him.









I can't imagine someone being offended for being mistaken for the president. If they are, that's their issue.







Nor is it really that odd that she notices a difference in skin tone and makes a logical connection. <shrug> I don't see anything wrong with what your kid did at all. I think it's adorable.







And I didn't even vote for the guy.









Here's what my kids did to me:
I'm shopping with my boys, and my middle son (then just three) saw a large, very large, man. He quietly said "Oh, humpty dumpty".







That would have been not so bad because nobody else heard, except that my just 5 yo picked up on that and started *pointing* at the man and *shrieking* "HUMPTY DUMPTY!! HAHAHAH! Look at that HUMPTY DUMPTY!!". I don't know what he was thinking.







: We had talked about differences and kind vs hurtful words, and all that. I was completely mortified. Wanted to melt into a puddle and disappear forever.
I found us a quiet corner and talked to me son about how hurtful that behavior was and he was sorry for it. When we were ready to check out the man was still there, so I asked my son to please apologize, and he did. The man was very gracious, btw, and said "No problem" and shook my son's hands. But I was still blushing with shame as we hurried out of there.


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## Mama_Leah (Aug 1, 2007)

We were in the grocery store once and I was pushing my 3 yr old son in the cart and he started saying "Hey Hey Hey!" over and over in this guttural tone. I glanced over to where he seemed to be looking and right as I realized it was a very large black man my son finished with "It's Faaaaaatttt Albert!"








I wanted to sink through the floor....


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## RoseDuperre (Oct 15, 2007)

These are priceless! Keep 'em coming!


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## LizLizard (Jul 16, 2007)

We were at the grocery store many months ago, and there was a man there with long hair and a long white beard... my oldest pointed at him and said loudly "Mommy, what's God doing?" I said "That's not God, sweetie" and she said "What's Jesus doing?" LOL. It doesn't embarass me, surprisingly... I just let it roll off and explain to DD that no, that person isn't God or Jesus or Signing Time Rachel or whomever else she sees.

She has also pointed out several black men and said "Look, Bahkobama" so you're not alone in that....


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## asundaykindalove (Jan 19, 2009)

I was at Target with the 4 y/o little girl I watch. We were sitting down eating popcorn when this elderly woman walked by and A said, "hello! You're REALLY old."







The thing is she had no idea this would be considered an insult, she said it just a plain as anything. Hello, you're wearing a yellow shirt...hello, you're really old. I don't think the woman heard her, if she did she didn't aknowledge her. I explained to her that it wasn't a nice to say and she asked why?







: I had no idea how to explain it to her, it's not an insult. I mean in some cultures being old is seen as a great accomplishment and they're looked to as wise, but in our culture so many people are afraid to get old and do what ever they can to stay "young".


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## Phantaja (Oct 10, 2006)

Not my kid, but once a young toddler- about 14 months- in a grocery store pointed at me and said "Gottamil?" The mom looked embarassed as the walked away.

I saw them in another aisle and the kid pointed again and said "Mil? Gottamil?" I kinda smiled at him, confused, and the mom pushes the cart away. When they were a ways away, I hear her hiss "No, she doesn't have any milk and if she does, it's not for you!"


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## Mere (Oct 1, 2002)

It's nice to know that these mortifying experiences are somewhat common!

Mine:
We are in the dressing room of the YMCA. Ds1 is 2.5. A fairly rotund woman was changing right next to us. Ds1 asks me 'why is that woman's bottom so big?' I didn't know what to do, so I ignored him and busied myself with dd1. Ds1, not to be deterred, starts asking persistently and loudly, 'Mommy! WHY IS THAT WOMAN'S BOTTOM SO BIG? MOMMY? I had no good response, other than to hope fervently that the woman (who appeared to have Down's Syndrome) didn't completely comprehend the situation, OR comprehended enough to realize ds1's age!

Regardless, I felt terrible and know that I *should have* addressed the woman and ds1's comment, so I actually wrote about this experience on MDC. People here had great feedback. Good thing, because the next week, lo and behold, there we were again at the YMCA - same time, same place, same woman, same comment from ds1. I said something like 'Yes, people are all different shapes and sizes. Isn't that great?' Then I smiled at the woman and apologized for him and noted that he was two.


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## eggsandpancakes (Oct 16, 2007)

when my daughter was about 18 months she developed an obsession with poop. Yep, poop. We were in the grocery store and she would point to the groceries in others peoples carts and holler "WHA'S AT?! IS IT *POOOOOP*?! And then start laughing. I knew she was pointing at their carts. . . .


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## Softmama (Jun 10, 2003)

we were leaving a restaurant and dh took my middle son (5 yo) up with him to the register to pay. Their was a tall biker there in line with his bandanna on, long hair, tattoos, sleeveless leather jacket, the whole nine yards. Ds get all excited and at the top of his lungs yells, "look! a pirate!!!". The biker turns around, looks down at Ds and shrugs, "Yeah, I guess I kinda do look like a pirate, huh?" and then proceeds to talk about pirates of the caribbean (which Ds had never hear of) so Ds just stood there speechless as his very own pirate talked to him


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## bigeyes (Apr 5, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *asundaykindalove* 
I was at Target with the 4 y/o little girl I watch. We were sitting down eating popcorn when this elderly woman walked by and A said, "hello! You're REALLY old."







The thing is she had no idea this would be considered an insult, she said it just a plain as anything. Hello, you're wearing a yellow shirt...hello, you're really old. I don't think the woman heard her, if she did she didn't aknowledge her. I explained to her that it wasn't a nice to say and she asked why?







: I had no idea how to explain it to her, it's not an insult. I mean in some cultures being old is seen as a great accomplishment and they're looked to as wise, but in our culture so many people are afraid to get old and do what ever they can to stay "young".

It's Target.









When DS was little, maybe 3, we were in the same aisle (at Target) as an older woman in a black and white dress and he very loudly asked me _how come she's dressed like a penguin?_

I tried to quiet him down and whispered _she's not dressed like a penguin, she's wearing a black and white dress._

He started squawking _even louder_ than before YES SHE IS! SHE'S DRESSED LIKE A PENGUIN! HOW COME SHE'S DRESSED LIKE A PENGUIN MAMA? HOW COME SHE'S DRESSED LIKE A PENGUIN??

I couldn't get out of there fast enough.







:

And for some reason now he really loves that story.


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## ginadc (Jun 13, 2006)

I did something similar myself as a child. We were in line at the airport, I was about 3 or 4, and spotting a black man in line next to us, I hollered, "Mommy, it's Gordon from Sesame Street!" My mom was mortified, although the man himself was amused. (Funnily enough, my family now lives in the same town as the *actual* Gordon from Sesame Street, and DD and I said hello to him at Panera Bread the other day. She was thrilled.)

And my DD also thinks a lot of the tall black men she sees are Obama. She has a huge Obama thing too (no, I don't push my political leanings onto my child, why do you ask?). Once she even saw the end zone writing on an Oklahoma football game on TV, and decided that it spelled "Obama." (Pretty astute given she wasn't even 3 at the time.)


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## MtBikeLover (Jun 30, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *cappuccinosmom* 
:He quietly said "Oh, humpty dumpty".







That would have been not so bad because nobody else heard, except that my just 5 yo picked up on that and started *pointing* at the man and *shrieking* "HUMPTY DUMPTY!! HAHAHAH! Look at that HUMPTY DUMPTY!!".

OMG - I have tears in my eyes - that is hilarious!!


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## Mama_Leah (Aug 1, 2007)

I just remembered once when I was on the receiving end of funny comments.
I just had two toddler girls and I was only 21 but looked much younger, mostly because I'm short, lol. We went to one of those big wooden plagrounds that look like castles and I followed the baby up onto to it to keep an eye on her and this little (8?) boy came and said hi. Then he just stood there for a minute, then asked if I wanted to play hide and seek. I thanked him nicely but declined then he told me he had an older brother who was 13 and maybe I would want to go out with him!







I realized then that he thought I was another kid, not a mom...


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## NYCVeg (Jan 31, 2005)

Dd loves the book "Miss Rumphius." At one point, the text says about the main character, "Now, some people called her That Crazy Old Lady."

There's a VERY exuberant cashier at our local drug store, who always chats with dd. One day she came over and made said her usual kind--but very loud and cheery--hellos to dd. As she was walking away, dd said at the top of her lungs, "Mama, where is that crazy old lady going?"







:


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## jocelyndale (Aug 28, 2006)

My 23mo son also happily shrieks, "OBAMA!" whenever he sees a black man with short (or no) hair.







: I want to sink into the floor, but then DS starts clapping and cheering and the recipient is generally amused. I'm just glad I live in a liberal town.


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## nextcommercial (Nov 8, 2005)

My daycare kids do it all the time too. They love that guy. And if that man was offended, then he needs to get over himself.


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## nextcommercial (Nov 8, 2005)

I took my daycare girls to the waterpark.

The seven year old (yes.. SEVEN) was in the lazy river on an innertube. Some guy stood up in the middle of the river. (kinda stupid)

The seven yr old went face first into his butt.

SHe yelled back to her sister and I "HEY.. DID YOU SEE THAT? MY FACE WENT RIGHT INTO THAT MAN'S BIG HUGE BUTT!!! THAT IS ONE BIG BUTT MISTER!"

The ENTIRE park heard her.


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## Softmama (Jun 10, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *nextcommercial* 

SHe yelled back to her sister and I "HEY.. DID YOU SEE THAT? MY FACE WENT RIGHT INTO THAT MAN'S BIG HUGE BUTT!!! THAT IS ONE BIG BUTT MISTER!"










:


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## number572 (Aug 25, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Mama_Leah* 
I just remembered once when I was on the receiving end of funny comments.
I just had two toddler girls and I was only 21 but looked much younger, mostly because I'm short, lol. We went to one of those big wooden plagrounds that look like castles and I followed the baby up onto to it to keep an eye on her and this little (8?) boy came and said hi. Then he just stood there for a minute, then asked if I wanted to play hide and seek. I thanked him nicely but declined then he told me he had an older brother who was 13 and maybe I would want to go out with him!







I realized then that he thought I was another kid, not a mom...


How funny... little 8yo trying to hook up his brother! Cute.


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## asundaykindalove (Jan 19, 2009)

I just remembered another one.

I group up in a ton with a large amish population, well I guess while groccery shopping I saw an amish man with him very long white beard and I started yelling "Santa!!! Mommy it's Santa" I was about 2...it happened on more than one occassion...

Poor Mom. I'm sure we all said things that embarrassed our parents, I guess it's just our turn.


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## Dakota's Mom (Apr 8, 2003)

We were sitting in Target. (what is it about that place?) Eating lunch. Now I am not a small person and my six year old weighs 75 pounds so he is not tiny either. A rather large man walked by us and my son loudly announced, "Someone has been eating too many snacks." I tried to talk to him about how he would feel if someone called him fat or commented on what he was eating. He said, "I wouldn't care cause I'm not fat." SO then I asked him how he would feel if someone said that mommy was fat. He announced, "I would beat them up for being mean to you. But that guy is really really fat." Just at the moment that the guy walked past us to refill his drink cup. I wanted to eave immediately.

Kathi


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## Breeder (May 28, 2006)

I was just reminded of my youngest sister. She was about 2.5 or 3 at the time - young enough to be in a high chair (she was teeny weeny due to health issues) and we were at one of those Buffet style resturants. My mom had taken one of the other kids to the bathroom, leaving my father in charge of the table.

At the next table an overweight lady and her friend were sitting. The larger woman kept saying things like, "Oh, I just can't lose any weight!" and "I'm so fat!"

She just kept saying basically the same thing until...........

my sister turned around and said, _"Well, you wouldn't be so fat if you didn't eat so darned much."_








:

My father just quickly gathered us up (thankfully we had finished our meal) as the woman yelled at him to "control his kid".

My poor dad, when he tells the story to this day says, "Everytime Mary went to the bathroom- I _swear_ something happened!"

**She didn't learn this stuff from my parents, my mom is pretty large herself ... but she never talked about dieting or complained of her weight.**


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## guest9921 (Nov 3, 2005)

Not a 'kids say the darnest things' but embarassing none the less.

I was in wholefoods with my 3.5 year old, he had just used the bathroom, and I had my new jugs of water perched on the side of the sink. Water jug fell, and exploded all over the bathroom. DS was covered in water, so I just ran down to the customer assistance desk (right around the corner), and two employees ran back with me. When I opened the bathroom door, my son was on his hands and knees slurping the water up off of the bathroom floor.


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## kriket (Nov 25, 2007)

I don't have any of my own yet, but about 2 weeks ago I was in Target and a girl about 5(?) came up to me and asked if she could touch my hair (I'm white and have dreadlocks (well, matted hair) anyways) I get this a lot and told her she could. Her mother was horrified and scooped her up apologized to me and as they were walking away the mother said "I've told you not to ask people that" and the little girls said "You said not to ask BLACK people"







I almost died.


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## Aufilia (Jul 31, 2007)

My DH runs his own business, in gaming, and as part of his business he produces a podcast. A few weeks ago I was out of town for the day of the podcast, and my parents unexpectedly were away, so he had to entertain DD during the podcast. She was very good, played quietly, didn't bug him, and so on. After they'd stopped recording they still do some non-recorded chat for live listeners, so DH had DD up on his lap talking on the broadcast, and he asked her what she had done today. He expected her to mention having been to breakfast at McDonalds (a special treat) or playing with a new toy. But nope. Instead she announces proudly to his listeners, "I had TWO big poops!"


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## Nettie29 (Mar 26, 2009)

My 4 yo DD makes embarrassing comments *all the time*! There was the "are you a man or a woman?" phase. Then the "why is your stomach so big? do you have a baby in there?" phase. (Glad that's over).

Last week, we were at a coffee shop together. We bumped into a friend of mine who was there with her aunt and mother. She pointed at them from a distance to show my daughter who she was with.

Friend: (Pointing) "I'm here with my aunt and my mom"
DD: "The one over there with the big fat bum?"

Sheesh! Talk about mortified.


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## Hey Mama! (Dec 27, 2003)

LOL My three year old saw a black man in a suit on TV yesterday and started chanting "Obama, Obama!" even though it was a character on a TV show. Dh was like great, our daughter is racist she thinks all black men look alike.

When oldest dd was small dh was in the military so every man with BDU's was "daddy" and she'd run up to them in the grocery store, at the clinic, etc. It happened all the time to other military kids.

When she was about 4 we were grocery shopping and crossed paths with a little person who was about her height (she is tall for her age). Anyway, she walked right up to her, pointed and laughed cruelly. I was so mortified and we had a big talk right in the middle of the isle about how people come in different sizes. She is still uncomfortable around them and doesn't like it when I watch Little People, Big World. I have no clue what her problem is.


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## sg784 (Dec 19, 2004)

omg, Im seriously Lauging out loud at some of these posts.

I dont have any funny ones that I can think of right now, but I remember what I did the first time I ever saw a black man. He was a friend of my dads and at dinner I sat next to him and stared at his hand through the whole meal. I saw that it was like mine on the underneath but dark on top. I waited till he wasnt looking and licked my thumb and tried to rub the dark stuff on top of his hand off. He smiled real big at me and my parents almost died! lol

Ah..........childhood innocence.


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## TinyMama (Sep 4, 2007)

We had a woman come clean our house recently. She was devoted to my grandmother when she was alive, so my family tries to occasionally employ her. Her English is almost entirely unintelligible, and she's very easily offended...which makes for some difficult conversations.

Anyway, she came over when my DD was in her high chair eating breakfast. She had a long conversation with DD, which DD listened to silently with huge eyes. Finally she started upstairs, and DD asked REALLY loudly, "Mommy! Who's THAT guy?!?" I answered her softly, but DD is in a stage where she repeats things endlessly, so she kept yelling, "Who's THAT guy?!?" until I whisked her out of the house.

Sheesh...


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## Theoretica (Feb 2, 2008)

OMG this is a great thread...keep 'em coming...







:

I have some to share, but I'm nakking....be back later...


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## siobhang (Oct 23, 2005)

dh has a good one from when he was a kid.

His dad took him to a car dealership, looking for a second hand car. DH, who was 5 at the time, was soaking up everything his dad said about each car.

When the dealer came over and asked what they were looking for, dh pointed to the car in front of him and said "my dad says this car is rubbish!"

I am always concerned about what I say in front of my kids because I KNOW they will repeat it at the worst time...


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## BroodyWoodsgal (Jan 30, 2008)

Mamas....I am ***dying*** laughing. Keep 'em coming....it's giving me something to look forward to! DD is only 10 mos old, so not much with the talking...but oh man...I'm sure she's gonna whip out a couple of good ones in the grocery store (or Target, I guess?!) before too long!


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## BlueStateMama (Apr 12, 2004)

I thought I'd "prevented" the embarrasing public comments. When we'd see someone in a wheelchair (like, from the car, not up close and personal) and I'd say, "You know, some people use a wheelchair to get around. Their legs don't work like ours - they may have been born that way, or had an accident. But everyone is different - the world would be so boring if everyone was the same."

In a grocery store, a woman was using one of the scooters to shop and my (at the time, almost 3 year old) daughter announced, loudly, "LOOK MAMA, there's a lady whose legs don't work!!!"







:

I've since been trying to talk to them how if someone is different from they are, that it's no big deal, but that they need to ask mama questions in private, and that people don't usually want their differences talked about in public.

And, my DS (when he was almost 2) had rarely seen anyone black...he has an uncle who is biracial, but we live in NH and it's so racially homogenous - diversity is scarce. We were in the gorcery store and he saw a really dark AA man, and was fascinated. He wasn't very verbal then, but kept pointing at him and excitedly saying, "OOOOOH!!!! Ooooohhhhhhh!" I just said, "I guess he's the official greeter today!" and moved on.

I honestly just get really flustered at these situations. I don't want to curtail natural curiosity, but on the other hand, people are not my children's "science experiment", so to speak. Discovering differences is natural and normal, but people are entitled to their space and respect. It's a tough balance.


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## Boot (Jan 22, 2008)

When my ds was about 18 months he saw a woman with a little black baby in a carrier. He pointed and said very loudly 'that a monkey!'. I was so embarrassed. The mum heard him but she just smiled at him and said 'it's a baby'.


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## lindsayncadence (Mar 27, 2006)

I dont post over here as much but I had to reply to this thread! I have a black friend who does look like obama. His name is stoney (yes it is his REAL name lol). Everytime Cadence sees a pic of Obama she has to say "LOOK mom barack obama stoney"!!!!!!!!!! He thinks shes hilarious and is not at all offended by it. I just wanted you to know you are not alone and with other black men she will also call them barack obama or stoney







: They are kids though and I dont imagine anyone would be hurt that a kid thinks they are the president. I can think of LOTS of way more embarassing things Cadence has done in public than that... lol


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## Brisen (Apr 5, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Mama_Leah* 
I realized then that he thought I was another kid, not a mom...











I'm 5' tall, wear flat shoes, and don't wear make up, and people seem to often think I'm younger than I am. My ILs host a Christmas sing along each year, and a couple of years ago there were two boys there, brothers, one maybe 11, the other 17. They were up in the kid room, and I was in and out, checking on my kids and just checking in general. This 11ish boy was kind of giving me a bit of a "what makes you think you're in charge" look. I was standing in the middle of the room, watching some kids play, and he comes up to me and tells me who his brother is and that he is 17. I said something like "Oh, OK." The 11 yo stayed standing beside me for a bit, and then asked how old I was. I said "I'm 28," and the 11 yo looked absolutely shocked. His jaw dropped, he stared at me for a bit, and then he turned away and sat down. He seemed rather deflated after that.


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## fairejour (Apr 15, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *savannah smiles* 
I'd take the Obama comment over my 3 yr old screaming "pirate" while pointing to an elderly man wearing an eye patch!

This has happen to me as well!


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## fairejour (Apr 15, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Boot* 
When my ds was about 18 months he saw a woman with a little black baby in a carrier. He pointed and said very loudly 'that a monkey!'. I was so embarrassed. The mum heard him but she just smiled at him and said 'it's a baby'.

YIKES! I think this one wins


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## Anglyn (Oct 25, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *savannah smiles* 
I'd take the Obama comment over my 3 yr old screaming "pirate" while pointing to an elderly man wearing an eye patch!

ROTF!!

Quote:


Originally Posted by *sunshine1793* 
Regarding the comment about the 'fat black lady', could you say 'Yes, and isn't she beautiful!' or something? Would that be appropriate?

Probally, but the look she was giving me, I just hissed at dd to stop and got the heck outta there!

Quote:


Originally Posted by *LizLizard* 
We were at the grocery store many months ago, and there was a man there with long hair and a long white beard... my oldest pointed at him and said loudly "Mommy, what's God doing?" I said "That's not God, sweetie" and she said "What's Jesus doing?" LOL. It doesn't embarass me, surprisingly... I just let it roll off and explain to DD that no, that person isn't God or Jesus or Signing Time Rachel or whomever else she sees.

She has also pointed out several black men and said "Look, Bahkobama" so you're not alone in that....

Hilarious! MY xh's dad was a nicely rotund man with long white hair and beard and kids ALWAYS thought he was santa! You should have seen wide eyed kids in target or walmart pointing at him. BUt he ate it up, even started wearing a santa hat at christmas time around town! WEll after x and I divoreced and I remarried, they came one day to visit my oldest ds (thier grandchild) at christmas time and he showed up in full regalia, the red coat, black boots, all of it. My younger kids still think that ds1's grandpa is really santa!

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Phantaja* 
Not my kid, but once a young toddler- about 14 months- in a grocery store pointed at me and said "Gottamil?" The mom looked embarassed as the walked away.

I saw them in another aisle and the kid pointed again and said "Mil? Gottamil?" I kinda smiled at him, confused, and the mom pushes the cart away. When they were a ways away, I hear her hiss "No, she doesn't have any milk and if she does, it's not for you!"

That would crack me up!DS2 was once strapped into the cart, cuz he wouldnt stop running off and crying about it. A lady came up to talk to him and the tears dried right up, he got his cutest smile on and lured her in, then pointed to the buckle and looked her deep in the eyes and in his sweetest voice said, "ouuuut?" She was obviously startled and looked up at me then just backed away.....

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Softmama* 
we were leaving a restaurant and dh took my middle son (5 yo) up with him to the register to pay. Their was a tall biker there in line with his bandanna on, long hair, tattoos, sleeveless leather jacket, the whole nine yards. Ds get all excited and at the top of his lungs yells, "look! a pirate!!!". The biker turns around, looks down at Ds and shrugs, "Yeah, I guess I kinda do look like a pirate, huh?" and then proceeds to talk about pirates of the caribbean (which Ds had never hear of) so Ds just stood there speechless as his very own pirate talked to him









What a nice guy!

Quote:


Originally Posted by *ixia* 
Not a 'kids say the darnest things' but embarassing none the less.

I was in wholefoods with my 3.5 year old, he had just used the bathroom, and I had my new jugs of water perched on the side of the sink. Water jug fell, and exploded all over the bathroom. DS was covered in water, so I just ran down to the customer assistance desk (right around the corner), and two employees ran back with me. When I opened the bathroom door, my son was on his hands and knees slurping the water up off of the bathroom floor.









This is hilarous cuz thats what my ds would do!

Quote:


Originally Posted by *BlueStateMama* 
I thought I'd "prevented" the embarrasing public comments. When we'd see someone in a wheelchair (like, from the car, not up close and personal) and I'd say, "You know, some people use a wheelchair to get around. Their legs don't work like ours - they may have been born that way, or had an accident. But everyone is different - the world would be so boring if everyone was the same."

In a grocery store, a woman was using one of the scooters to shop and my (at the time, almost 3 year old) daughter announced, loudly, "LOOK MAMA, there's a lady whose legs don't work!!!"







:

I've since been trying to talk to them how if someone is different from they are, that it's no big deal, but that they need to ask mama questions in private, and that people don't usually want their differences talked about in public.

And, my DS (when he was almost 2) had rarely seen anyone black...he has an uncle who is biracial, but we live in NH and it's so racially homogenous - diversity is scarce. We were in the gorcery store and he saw a really dark AA man, and was fascinated. He wasn't very verbal then, but kept pointing at him and excitedly saying, "OOOOOH!!!! Ooooohhhhhhh!" I just said, "I guess he's the official greeter today!" and moved on.

I honestly just get really flustered at these situations. I don't want to curtail natural curiosity, but on the other hand, people are not my children's "science experiment", so to speak. Discovering differences is natural and normal, but people are entitled to their space and respect. It's a tough balance.

DH's aunt is in a wheelchair and I know that she has no problems asnwering a childs questions about what happened to her and why she's in it, etc. My almost six year old dd just recently realized that in additon to legs, dh's aunt is also missing some fingers. She was doing the stage whisper,"mama, where are her fingers?" I tried to shush her but she persisted until our aunt heard and said what? So I said, dd wants to know what happened to your fingers, soshe told her and dd went over and had a close look, then everything was back to normal.
I dont know. Maybe an open discussion IS a good thing


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## bigeyes (Apr 5, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Anglyn* 

DH's aunt is in a wheelchair and I know that she has no problems asnwering a childs questions about what happened to her and why she's in it, etc. My almost six year old dd just recently realized that in additon to legs, dh's aunt is also missing some fingers. She was doing the stage whisper,"mama, where are her fingers?" I tried to shush her but she persisted until our aunt heard and said what? So I said, dd wants to know what happened to your fingers, soshe told her and dd went over and had a close look, then everything was back to normal.
I dont know. Maybe an open discussion IS a good thing

Some people want to be open about it and others think it's rude to discuss, but _generally_ I don't want my kids to be making comments _to_ or _about_ strangers. If they know someone, _maybe_ they would like to discuss it, but if they are a stranger, not so much.


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## Agatha_Ann (Apr 5, 2009)

I really feel for children trying to understand appropriate social interactions. We spend all day long describing the world around us to our kids saying things like, "Look at the blue truck! That tree has lots of leaves! This blanket is soft! The snow is cold! Do you see the big dog?" etc etc, but those same concepts are off limits in certain situations-how confusing that must be!

I was at the store with my daughter one day in the magazine aisle and she was pointing to the pictures on the covers and pointing out "cuteness", cute kids, cute flowers, cute hair... I said "I guess you think everything is cute, huh?" and she said, "No. Not HER!" and pointed at the only other lady in the aisle! I was mortified!

When my oldest son was three, we had dinner with a family we had just met at church. After we ate, I handed my son a cloth napkin and asked him to wash his face and then to go play with his dad in the living room. Our hostess and I cleared off the table and when we walked down the hall to join the men, we passed my little boy dipping the napkin in the toilet and happily washing his face. GREAT first impression!









My daughter also used to yell "OWIE OWIE OWIE" if there were people around when she was in trouble and I would be talking to her about it. I would get death glares and I just wanted a sign that said I have not and would not ever lay a hand on my children







She was pretty clever







:


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## JD5351 (Sep 13, 2008)

I thought of another one..

I was babysitting my cousin when she was 3. They had a teddy bear cookie jar sitting on the dining room table, and she was taking the lid off and slamming it back on.

I said, "Don't do that, it will bust." and she said, "Yeah...And when I do..You'll say SON-OF-A-#*(&*(#"

I was surprised and said, "What did you say??"

She said, "IIIII SAAAAID.....WHEN I DOOOO....You'll say...*repeat*"

I was completely stunned. And I know her parents didn't speak that way...Not sure where she picked it up from..

She also was running ahead of me at a festival..She turned around, and yelled, "Come on! Let's run!" I told her i didn't want to run..She asked, 'Why, because people will laugh at you?" LOL She's lucky she is so cute.


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## Agatha_Ann (Apr 5, 2009)

I just remembered one from my friend's little boy! They were at a farmer's market and there was a man with a booth with various items he had carved from stone. There was a basket full of worry stones and my friend's three year old son asked the man what they were. The man told him that they are things that you can rub and play with when you are worried about something and your worries will go away. The little boy said, "Just like my penis!"


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## LuckyTrish (Dec 29, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Agatha_Ann* 
I just remembered one from my friend's little boy! They were at a farmer's market and there was a man with a booth with various items he had carved from stone. There was a basket full of worry stones and my friend's three year old son asked the man what they were. The man told him that they are things that you can rub and play with when you are worried about something and your worries will go away. The little boy said, "Just like my penis!"




















That's fantastic! I love reading this, but my family keeps asking what I'm laughing about


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## mama*pisces (Feb 17, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *JD5351* 
I had my friends little girl who was 2 at the time at Dairy Queen one day, we were sitting in a booth..

A man walked in, and she stood up on the bench and started jumping up and down and yelled "YAYYYYY! DADDY!!!!"

Her dad is about 5'4, with blond hair..

This man was about 6' tall and dark hair...

All I could think of was this man thinks that she does not know who her own father is...lol











My ds did something very similar. Just him and I were at a park one day when he was about 20 or 21 months....there were a few people around but not many. This is a small park with not really any space between the park and the parking lot, so we had a clear view of whoever was pulling in. A man drives up and gets out of his car. Ds sees him and yells "Daddy!!" and runs towards him, and said it at least one or two more times. I couldn't believe what I was hearing....this man was clearly AA, and my dh is NOT.







They did have a similar build, however, so I guess I _could_ see where he got that...? I hurried to try to catch him, saying somewhat softly, "No honey, that's not your daddy." - kinda hoping that the guy wouldn't hear, but he looked over at us and chuckled. I felt more confused than embarrased. In retrospect it's pretty funny though.


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## mama*pisces (Feb 17, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Agatha_Ann* 
I just remembered one from my friend's little boy! They were at a farmer's market and there was a man with a booth with various items he had carved from stone. There was a basket full of worry stones and my friend's three year old son asked the man what they were. The man told him that they are things that you can rub and play with when you are worried about something and your worries will go away. The little boy said, "Just like my penis!"


















Oh my gosh. That is just too much!

That actually reminds me of my friend's daughter though. They are neighbors of ours and the daughter and my ds always play together. Yesterday they had been playing outside together for a while, and were hanging out just outside my back door(we have a big, open area in our "backyards" with a playground), when she looks at me and says: "I want an apple." We just happen to have TONS of them, so I asked her mom if it was ok, then handed her and my ds an apple. She takes hers, looks at it, looks at me and says: "But I don't want it with a penis on it!" I was like:







"What?" and she repeated it, twice, clear as day. I started laughing and said: "Honey, that's not a penis, that's a stem." This girl is 3 and a half, and apparantly watches way too many NON - G rated movies with her parents.







I couldn't believe she said that to me! I was half amused and half horrified - but I told her mom and she didn't seem bothered by it at all, and said it was funny.


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## delphine (Aug 12, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Nettie29* 
My 4 yo DD makes embarrassing comments *all the time*! There was the "are you a man or a woman?" phase.


This reminded me of my DS. when he was about 5, we were eating in a fast food restaurant. We happened to be sitting near the restroom. DS at the time was really into going into the men's bathroom instead of the women's. so, after scoping it out and assuring that no-one else was in the men's, I let him try out his independence. He was in there for a while and a man with long hair went in and then came back out. Still no sign of DS. I am starting to get a little frustrated and then I see the door open slightly and DS peeks his head out. So, he sees me and comes running out, yelling, "MOM, there was a LADY in the men's bathroom. And, she used the urinal". Of course, the man with the long hair was sitting a the next table.


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## Brisen (Apr 5, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mama*pisces* 
This girl is 3 and a half, and apparantly watches way too many NON - G rated movies with her parents.







I couldn't believe she said that to me! I was half amused and half horrified - but I told her mom and she didn't seem bothered by it at all, and said it was funny.









Is that a line from a movie or something? My kids all know and use proper terminology, and my 4 yo dd knows what a penis is. She makes penis jokes sometimes and occasionally draws in a penis when she draws a picture of a male. She does watch a few PG films, but she didn't pick up her awareness of a penis from them.


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## mama*pisces (Feb 17, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Brisen* 
Is that a line from a movie or something? My kids all know and use proper terminology, and my 4 yo dd knows what a penis is. She makes penis jokes sometimes and occasionally draws in a penis when she draws a picture of a male. She does watch a few PG films, but she didn't pick up her awareness of a penis from them.

I have no idea....could be.


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## LaughingHyena (May 4, 2004)

I've not had to deal with embarrassing comments about other people yet, but DS has a habit of making people laugh when we are shopping.

A couple of weeks ago he was sat in the trolley holding the pack of toilet rolls and singing loudly "wipe poo off bottoms".

DD also picked the middle of grocery shopping to ask how babies get out of your tummy. I would rather have had that conversation at home







She recently declared that when she and her boyfriend have a baby they will have it at home because they can't drive. They are 4!


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## ~Boudicca~ (Sep 7, 2005)

Well, at my daughter's birthday party the other day, my 6 y/o loudly announced to our whole family that her little sister "was a pain in my balls."

Sigh.


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## diaperqueen (Nov 8, 2005)

Dh & dd (3 at the time) happened to be the only white people sitting in a crowded, *silent* waiting room at the dr's office. Dd is looking around at everyone and says, "Daddy, we're white, aren't we?"


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## Dakota's Mom (Apr 8, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *siobhang* 
dh has a good one from when he was a kid.

His dad took him to a car dealership, looking for a second hand car. DH, who was 5 at the time, was soaking up everything his dad said about each car.

When the dealer came over and asked what they were looking for, dh pointed to the car in front of him and said "my dad says this car is rubbish!"

I am always concerned about what I say in front of my kids because I KNOW they will repeat it at the worst time...

THis totally happened to me the other day. We were at the park. There was a little boy about 8 or 9 years old who was very destructive. They have a wooden fence around the park to keep the little ones inside. He didn't want to open the gate so he kicked the top of the fence until it came lose and then lowered it to the ground. He came over to my son and wanted to play with him. As I watched him do other things that I did not think were appropriate I called my son over to me. I very quietly told him that I did not want him to play with that little boy because he was too destructive. Well, my son immediately went over to the boy and said, "My mom says I can't play with you because you are destructive." I was so embarassed. I didn't want him to tell the kid, I just wanted him to stay away from him.

Kathi


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## Bluegoat (Nov 30, 2008)

I was at work marking a few papers, and dh dropped off my dd, then just 3, before I finished. One of the other guys in the office was talking to her while I finished up, he was about 23, an infantrymen, a bit on the macho side. Suddenly she announced "I have a VULVA!" When he didn't respond she said it again louder. His eyes got really big, so I said Yes, all girls do dear. Poor fellow, he had no clue what to say.


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## honeybee (Mar 12, 2004)

It could be much worse. When I was 2, and there was an African American gentleman at the door, apparently I said "Dat monkey, daddy?" It's so embarrassing, I can't believe I even admitted that online... We lived in the city with a diverse group of people around all the time, so I don't know what made me say that.

Another time a bald man with some tufts of hair around his ears came to the door and I asked if it was Bozo (the clown).


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