"Excuse me?"

Kids say the darnedest things. Oh so true. And you don't realize how much of it comes out of your own mouth until you hear it regurgitated from those innocent little lips. Now in all fairness, we have been very good about watching our p's and q's around our little fella because it appears he has very keen ears and a memory like an elephant!

Allow me to elaborate. Yesterday evening, Zeke and I were going through our usual bedtime routine. We had just completed reading a couple of stories when he decided to share a word with me that sounded of Spanish origin. Being a Dora the Explorer fan (Zeke, not myself), I figured he'd picked up a word from one of the shows and was somehow mispronouncing it. I asked him what it meant, and he said it didn't mean anything.

"Why would you say a word that doesn't mean anything?" I asked.

Zeke looked at me for a second and without missing a beat, "Just to make you ask 'Why?'" he said in a very matter-of-fact tone.

I opened my mouth to say something in protest but stopped. He jumped down from my lap and started rummaging through his book box, and I found myself smiling. A little. I do recall using that same line just a day or two before, and I know my husband uses it all the time when he finds himself bombarded with near impossible "Why?" questions in rapid succession from our very inquisitive preschooler. (If your kids are old enough to talk in good sentences, you know exactly what I'm talking about.)

He said something else to me yesterday that almost caused me to laugh out loud, but I bit my tongue. It was right before leaving the dinner table, and to be entirely honest, I don't recall the details of the conversation. All I can remember was hearing my once quiet, babbling little baby say, "Look, Mommy, this is what's going to happen," right before he explained in what sequence we needed to get things done once we left the table.

I look at Gabe and know this non-argumentative and innocent little baby isn't going to stay that way either. Pretty soon he's going to be telling us how things should be and how we--his aging parents who don't know any better--need to do things. Can we see ourselves in their shoes once upon a time with our own parents? Perhaps even now?

(Can I get an "Amen"?)

I didn't get onto Zeke about saying what he did last night. That was actually kinda funny, though I'd never tell him that, of course. And who knows what the next thing will be out of that kid's mouth?

I certainly don't!