Wonderful Words

Kids are awesome.

Yeah, ok, sometimes they are whiny and needy and stinky and sassy--you get the idea--but all that aside, kids are really cool. They can be sweet and cuddly and fun and silly, and they even have those moments where they can be insightful. And, of course, they sure are good at melting hearts. 

Now, my kind of child is in the "4 and under" category. Ya know, the way they are when they still need you, and they can't really talk back quite yet. And they still let you make the rules when you play games ("No, kid, what if I don't want Barbie to say that?").  Hubs and I joke that when we have children, they will be mine from birth to 4, his from 5-15, and then when they get to be older teens...well, we'll deal with that when it comes.  

I've worked with children (yes, sometimes even over the age of 4) for some time now in various settings. I'm often so in awe of how they learn and grow. How they react to certain situations. How they formulate thoughts, ideas, and even words. How my simple kiss can "heal" any boo-boo, and my repetitious singing can bring a smile to a sweet face. The excitement of writing his name for the first time; the dance she made up on her own to perform just for me. Children are just a storehouse of wonder and energy. And I love all their little moments. But ya know one of the things I love most about kids? Things they say.

My current nanny job has me at the park quite often. I have all the opportunity in the world to hear the musings of little children. Kids seriously do say the darndest things sometimes. While Lil' Man and I are swinging or sliding or drawing in the dirt with sticks, I always have one ear open to the words and phrases that fly around the playground, always hoping to catch something funny (and sometimes thought-provoking) to jot down in my mental journal. It's amazing what you can hear if ya just give a listen. Some things that make my mouth curl up in a smile or my eyebrows arch up in surprise, and every once in a while, some things that make me say, "Wow, I wish I'd thought of that!"

I hate to keep such hilarity and insightfulness to myself, so in a new segment of my blog, I present to you the first installment of "Wonderful Words of Wee Ones". And seriously, folks, I can't make this stuff up.

1. 3-year-old boy: "I'm full of hungry." (I feel ya. Been there, too, kid.)

2. 6-year-old girl (in the MOST deadpan voice I've ever heard): "Yesterday at Oz Park, I saw boys jump off the swing when they were really high. It was exciting."

3. 4-year-old girl, while playing "ice cream store": "You can have vanilla, chocolate, vanilla, sprinkle...or vanilla." (Apparently, someone got an extra shipment of vanilla this week.)

4. 6-year-old boy: "Why do I have to go to my work meeting every two hours?!" (I think someone has been hanging out with his workaholic parent.)

5. "I just farted! Do you smell it?!" (I'm not even gonna preface this one. We all know that was an 8-year-old boy.)

6. 2-year-old girl in reference to her infant sister: "Mama, can we try hanging Iris?" (Soooo relieved when I realized she was referring to giving the baby a go at the monkey bars; also relieved that the mom nixed both options.)

7. 5-year-old black boy to his white friend: "Come on, brother!" (Too cute!)
    5-year-old's twin sister to her brother: "Go away! You aren't my brother anymore!" (Not so cute. Still funny. Jealous much?)

8. 5-year-old boy to a 4-year-old girl wearing oversized purple latex gloves (Seriously, like Johnny Depp in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory): "Uh, what are those gloves for?"
    Girl: "They are from the dentist."
    Boy: (incredulously) "Why are you wearing them?"
    Girl: "I just don't want to take them off. They're soft." (Duh.)

9. 6-year-old girl, while running away from her friends: "I don't want you to talk to me for the rest of my life!" (Girls can be so mean! At any age...)

10. And one of my all-time favorites, said by a 4-year-old girl indignantly to her friends: "Trust is listening and love. You aren't being listening or loving!" (Wise beyond her years? I think so!)

Well, that's all for today, friends! But don't worry, I've got more of these gems stored up for future use. In the meantime, take a listen, see what "wonderful words of wee ones" you hear. Ya know never know what you might learn...or what just might brighten your day. :)