Hang around toddlers and pre-school children for any length of time and you are likely to be entertained by a statement that pours out of their mouth–whether it’s being brought to tears to hear precious four-year-old Elizabeth recite the Pledge of Allegiance around Memorial Day, or laughing out loud when Benaiah admits to why Zion is crying, “I hit him on the head…with my drumstick.” The innocence and purity of what streams from their lips is often comical especially when their utterings are mimicking others, which is what occurred in Stephanie’s video that went viral of her toddler copying her mother’s grunting noises as she picks items up around the home (Follow the link below for your amusement).
To the toddler’s Little Ears, the noises were a part of the process, she copied what she heard. And this is a pattern repeated over and over again for me as I relish in the entertainment of what children do and say—from Brady’s “Heeeeeyyy” when answering the phone like his mother or Gryffin’s use of the word “groceries” in describing the content of his dreams, you just never really grasp what Little Ears pick up on until you hear yourself coming from their lips. These amusing stories, as much laughter as they may bring, also has me pondering things I might say that Little Ears do NOT need to hear!
Connected to the words, and behaviors, that Little Ears pick up on is a moral story that was shared several years ago in my family. I’ll let you read the Wooden Bowl tale for yourself to provide a background for how the story played out in my family, but the moral of the story is Biblical, in that we reap what we sow. When we sow behaviors and words that Little Ears take in, we shouldn’t be all that surprised when it is repeated by little mouths. Just as the four-year-old in the story duplicated the actions of the parents, we must be intentional about, not only how we treat others, but who we are influencing that will mirror our actions. What are we modeling for the next generation?
Not to take away from the meaningful purpose of this post on considering how we guard our mouths, my family did take this story to heart one Christmas. It became a running joke whenever someone spilled food or drink, to utter the words, “Wooden Bowl!” After experiencing one of our parents continually leaving evidence of the chocolate Chex mix being eaten around the house, us daughters (without communicating with each other), both gifted wooden bowls for said parent to unwrap at Christmas. We all had a great laugh since one of our family love languages could likely be called Aggravation, as we pick on and tease each other. And it also becomes harder to buy gifts for each other the older we get, so we will find entertainment wherever we can find it.
Have a good laugh at the toddler video, ponder the meaning of the moral story, and truly consider what behaviors we engage in that Little Ears might choose to copy? Are we engaging and teaching the Habits of a Flourishing Life or will what we model lead them more likely down a road of floundering and failure? Guard your hearts and tongues and then you will experience nothing but laughter when you hear yourself from a little one’s lips!
Do you have an amusing story where some Little Ears repeated a phrase or behavior that left you laughing out loud? Please consider sharing in the comments below.
References:
Wooden Bowl. (2020, April 13). The wooden bowl- a moral story. InfoBuzzAdda. Retrieved from https://infobuzzadda.com/the-wooden-bowl-a-moral-story/
Stephanie. [@spritch29]. (2022, January 21). “Apparently I grunt too much.” #fyp #funnybaby #babiesoftiktok #toddlersoftiktok #CloseYourRings #toddlersbelike #funny #makingfunofme #mom [Video]. TikTok. Retrieved from https://www.tiktok.com/@spritch29/video/7055839305301757230
Flourishing @ Life 
Julie:
I have two examples–my daughter was almost 3 when we went on a business trip with her father and his mother (who was my grandmother’s age). She was a high school English teacher and life long Sunday School teacher and I was a bit intimidated of her. My very active and curious 3 – 4 year old daughter spied her grandmother’s unattended purse and immediately ran to explore the mysterious contents. In her haste, she tipped the purse and most of the contents spilled onto the edge of the bed and floor. She then repeated what she had often heard her mother mutter under her breath (the only swear word a “good” southern girl was allowed to utter.) My Mother-in-law’s shocked face was as classic as I’m sure my horrified expression returned to her. My daughter sensed the adult tension and began to repeat the “S” word enjoying being the center of attention. SIGH!
Several years later, I am alone in the car with her little brother. A driver cut me off in traffic and I sighed deeply and probably muttered something unintelligible under my breath. From the back seat, I hear my toddler ask, “Mommy, was that a Mister? ” Confused, I replied that I did not see the driver so I could not tell their gender but I wondered what prompted the question. Several days later, another driver paused too long after the light turned green and I heard myself saying: “Come on MISTER, are you waiting for a different shade of green? GO, GO, GO, GO!”. Realizing the root of my son’s question from days before, I thanked God that he had patiently worked with me to help clean up my frustration so that my next child heard MISTER rather than a swear word.
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