Over Reacting

My boys are such curious little beings. I never expected my five year old to be so suave. Certainly not at his age.




We had to get gasoline and as soon as we climbed out of the truck, he noticed two teenage girls. He promptly called out, "Hey ladies." His tone was far too grown up, and far too suave. They didn't notice. Whew.



We walked into the station, and he marched right up to the counter, promptly telling the woman behind the counter, "You are beautiful." Oh heavens. Hush boy. Yet, she was flattered, and he immediately showed off his muscles. This has been my daily encounter with other women for the last week or so.



Yet, Mr. Suave has this crushing ability to point out my weight. I have told him that the way he does it is rude, and I am horrified that this will become a publicly embarrassing moment for myself and possibly someone else.



His younger brother got one up on him the other day. He horrified me. He embarrassed me, and made me mad!



We were leaving the grocery store (where Mr. Suave had told the checker she was beautiful) and one of the nice, older men that helps bag groceries and carry them to the car, was entering the store. He told the boys, "Bye guys!"



My youngest promptly replied, "Bye Bagger!"



The man coming in behind the store employee says, "What'd that kid just say to you?"



My youngest, "I said, Bye Bagger!"



Me: Utterly horrified. I yelled at him all the way to the truck. I told him we call men "Sir" that calling them names is unacceptable. I was livid. I was horribly embarrassed. I didn't know if we should march back in and apologize, or speed away and NEVER return. My heart was pounding in my chest, my eyes stung. I was about to cry, and I was furious. I had no idea where my child learned to be so utterly disrespectful and rude.



And then his pitiful face made me realize, as I had brought him to tears too, that he had no idea he was being rude. The man bags groceries. There's no shame in that. He has a job, and he does it well. He's always nice to us, smiling, pleasant, helpful. My son, who is only 3, had no idea that it was rude to identify that guy by his job description. Neither of us knew his name, which is way more my bad then my boys. And I hugged my baby. And apologized.



Looking back, I wish I had taken him inside and had him explain that he just knew that he bagged groceries and apologize. But I didn't.



Have you ever over reacted to something your child did in innocence?