Kids.....seen but not heard?????

Well don't kids say the darndest things? I wonder if we should allow them to speak sometimes because they reach a certain age (of course all three of mine are at that certain age!) where they seem to spout off smart aleck remarks at the drop of a hat. Where do they pick these things up? Surely not from their smarty mouth relatives (including me) or the television? I cannot believe their lovely little school mates would ever do such a thing!

However, if we only allowed them to be seen and not heard we would miss out on some of the funniest interactions that make us love them so much...right? We do love them so much????

Here are just a few of those interactions I have had lately:

Li Li (7 yr old) and I were going to an appointment one morning and we were talking and having a fun time. It is so rare that its just the two of us. Well, she decides she wants to watch a little TV as we are driving along. I warn her that the TV stations may not come in too clearly since we are moving through town. She flips through a few channels and then says, " Here's a sofa. I like those. I think I'll keep it on this channel." I have a pretty puzzled look on my face because I have no idea what she is talking about. I say, " A what?" and she replies, "A sofa. You know like Nana watches every day." "Oh", I say, " You mean a soap opera?". "Yeah", she says. I then ask her if she even likes soap operas. She replies, "Well, not really, but that's all Nana watches so I would rather have that on than nothing. It makes her happy.".

Boo Boo (2 yr old nephew) was in my room one morning as I was getting dressed. Now I haven't completely dressed yet so he walks up to me and pats my bare bottom with his hand and says, "Uggggghhhhh, Mimi!" Isn't that what everyone should start their day with? Then just when you want to ban him from your presence for life he says, "Hug, Mimi?" and "Kiss, Mimi?".

Li Li was playing with her dolls and dollhouse in my office one afternoon and she is speaking rather forcefully to her dolls. I get a little uncomfortable with the angry tone she is using so I ask her to be nice to her dolls. My sister, Dr. Mom, immediately tells me to let her express herself like this because it helps her work out her aggressions. She then tells me that I don't like hearing it because it is an echo of what I probably say to her and I'm feeling guilty. Li Li then pipes up with, "Actually, I'm saying things like you do Aunt Dr. Mom. That's not really how Mimi talks to us." Well, out of the mouths of babes and all that!!! You go Li Li.....she'll think twice before she offers me advice again.

I guess it all evens out at the end of the day, doesn't it? We love the kids and seconds later we want to stuff gags in their mouths. Do you think this is anything like freedom of speech? Surely we didn't do this to our Mothers.....