The principal at the school where I work, and where my children attend, was walking through the cafeteria the other day when I saw her stop to talk to my son.  A few minutes later, I took a big gulp as she approached the kitchen where I was working. 

Not that I was terribly worried, as his blatant honesty has prepared me for anything.

Let’s review, shall we?

He once told a doctor that she had a, “really, really, really big nose” and he told an elderly woman that she was dead.  He saw a wrinkled, old lady at the store and said that she needed to use lotion and has even complimented large people…by telling them that he likes their “chinny chin chins.”

And, let’s not forget when he named his testicles, Racer and Jennifer, then proceeded to tell complete strangers about his “babies”.

My son keeps things interesting.  Although he has a whole lot of quirks, there is one part of his behavior that is constant; you never know what he is going to say.

I was thinking of this when the principal walked up to me and stated, “Diane, I have to tell you what your son just said.”

I began to form an apology in my head, but then she continued, “He wanted to wish me a happy afternoon and tell me that he’s been praying for my sister.  He says the most appropriate things!”

To which I replied, “Give him a minute.”

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The other night we were visiting with a friend during dinner at his house, when my eight year old son jumped into the conversation and called our 39 year old friend by his first name.  It was something along the lines of, “Sure, Chad.”

Although we allow the kids to call our oldest friends by their first name, we have a rule that most people go by Mr. or Mrs. followed by their last name.  It keeps things easy and consistent.

My husband quickly corrected our boy and said, “You need to address adults as Mr. or Mrs., buddy.  It shows respect.”

And, as our son turned to leave the room he rolled his eyes at his dad, let out a big sigh and said, “Whatever, Mike.”

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I’m going to allow myself to be conceited, because this is my blog and I’m my own editor and I can have an ego if I want to. Neener-neener.

You know how everyone sits down at a job interview and says, “I’m a people person”? Well, I really am a people person. I’m an extrovert, a talker, a social butterfly, if you will. I love people.

And, I hate ignorance.

I have friends of all different races and colors and beliefs. I love them, not despite our differences, but sometimes because of them. I am doing my best to teach my children the same thing.

This likely wasn’t evident when my son called two Muslim woman “pirates” and it surely wasn’t apparent yesterday at one of our favorite Chinese restaurants.

Because it had to seem that we are breeding nothing but intolerance when my son heard a woman speaking Chinese to her child, looked at her and said, “Uh, we’re not in China.”

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This past Saturday and Sunday mornings were spent running a lot of errands with my two kids. Two kids who, apparently, don’t understand that it’s possible to ride in a back seat without constant bickering and occasional sibling slapping.

After hours upon hours of listening to them argue, my head popped off.

Okay, my head didn’t pop off, but it felt like it would. Maybe that is why I suddenly yelled, “STOPPPPPPP!!!” You know, to relieve all of that pressure.

It was quiet for a moment, then my son said, “I want a new mom.”

I replied, “Why would you say that?”

He said, “Because you yelled.”

After I apologized for *ahem* raising my voice because of two days worth of constant squabble that would make even the most solid brain turn to mush, or make dogs howl, or make ears bleed, I told my son that he shouldn’t wish for a new mom because he might get a mom who yells more, or one who doesn’t read to him, or make him dinner, or love him so much, or…well the list went on and on.

None of that phased him. He was determined to be rid of me.

So, I did what any mom whose head almost popped off would do. I pulled over to an old, run-down house and told my son to go knock on the door and ask for a new mom.

He looked at the home, with its overgrown bushes, tall grass and covered windows and asked, “Can we go see if there’s a new mom at a better house?”

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