My husband took my son to one of those bounce house places where kids run around and go on big slides and jump up and down in larger-than-life jumpy things. Parents usually stay outside the bounce houses, as my husband did. He was standing up next to the netting, watching my son inside. Then, a child (about 5 years old) jumped over to him, sticking his face right up to the netting, stared my husband in the face. That’s when the kid said this,
“Hellooooo, Idiot!”
What do you do with that?
ABOUT ALICIA: Alicia is the founder of Balancing Motherhood.com. Last year, she managed to stay sane while completing an MBA, working full-time, blogging, and still baking amazing birthday cakes — all while raising a young family at home.
mamajon says
you just wonder what type of example his parents set a home. sad to think that that 5 year old lives in an environment that produces that kind of behaviour out in public…
Melanie says
Hi. I’ve never commented before but have been visiting for awhile and love your blog!
On this topic…. I’m not sure what I would’ve done. I know my first instinct would have been to say something (I hope calmly) to the child. After that, I’m not sure. Wow… how did your husband handle it?
Chris (Alicia's Husband) says
Well, I was surprised. I thought he was going to say hi or just scream with excitement. Frankly, I was disappointed in my response. The responsible adult in me said “Hey, thats not nice or polite language!” and the kid hopped away.
The vindictive adolescent in me was saying. “Nah, ‘idiot’ is a lame word. Try this one… b-e-o-t-c-h. Go say that to your mommy.”
Needless to say, better judgment prevailed. But I’ve rehearsed that response and squirreled it away in my ‘witty response file’ for the next time it happens.
Alicia says
Mamajon — thanks for always coming back. Good to hear from you. And, Melanie, Welcome! Thanks for the comments. I was amazed when my husband told me the story. I just hope that I raise a child that never does this!