Little Parrots

The mothers out there will understand me when i say that small children make for very good parrots - that is, they have this amazing habit of hearing, and repeating, everything you say ( unless of course what you're saying is " Please pick up your pencils " or " Stop touching the Christmas tree! " ).

Image from here

Flynn is a pretty good talker at the best of times, and though i really love being able to have little conversations with him or being able to understand what he wants, i do wish he'd stop copying all the "naughty " words his Dad is fond of saying. Not that we swear badly around him often - though both of us have had the odd slip up here and there - but Mick is, being a typical country boy, a user of a lot of Australian colloquialisms.... some of which aren't all that appropriate for a 2 yr old. Like, for example, the way many Australians use insults as a term of endearment, especially amonsgt blokes.

So when Flynn pipes up during a playdate yesterday " Daddy say i a bum-hole. Flynn a little bum-hole! " I was kind of mortified, even though amonsgt two grown up men i wouldnt bat an eyelid. Luckily all the other mum could do is laugh at my embarrassment, and tell her daughter ( who is a day older than Flynn ) to shut her ears...

Or at dinner last night when i gave Flynn a prawn to try - he took one little nibble and chucked it back on his plate in disgust, saying " This f**king stupid! ". Umm - no. Just - no. Both of us were a little taken aback at that one and told him f**king is a naughty word and that you can just say the prawn is yucky if you dont want it. Now, we arent in the habit of calling food " f**king stupid " but i'm guessing some little ears may have been listening to Daddy working ( or trying to anyway ) in the garage...

Flynn has also been known to tell people:
" Get off bloody grass! "
" Get away my daughter! " ( Which Poppy said in jest at our recent wedding.... ) and
" Cheers Big Ears! "
Hey, at least the last one gets an appropriate laugh....