the beginning of the blunt toddler honesty....

kids say the darndest things....and the most honest! i have heard my mom, sisters and friends tell me stories about their kids' honest remarks. until now, finley hasn't been talkative (or opinionated) enough to give me his two cents. but i am starting to learn what he really thinks of me.

how were my parents not mortified when my older sister (as a toddler) told a group of minglers in the church foyer, "my daddy has a tail." how did my sister not get her feelings hurt when her son looked at her beautiful wedding photo and said, "mom, you look really gross!" and when she asked him, "well, do you think i look better now?" and he thought for a minute then replied, "no, worse." or when a little neighbor girl sat on my grandma's lap and said, "oh, you're fat." to which my grandma replied, "yes, i am." my mom had always taught us to never talk about people being overweight. that some people can't help it and some people just "eat too many cookies" (her dumbed down explanation). after clearly absorbing this lesson, my older sister carol (as a toddler), kindly told a stranger at the in the grocery aisle, "you ate too many cookies!" oh no! my sister lindsay was especially outspoken with her truths as a little girl. sometimes my mom feared what my sister might say. when she was about 3 or 4, my mom was pushing her through the piggly wiggly in the shopping cart. a man came through the doorway who was morbidly obese and could barely walk. lindsay covered her mouth and started to giggle and carry on. then she pointed at him and said, "mom, he's barefooted!" shew! my favorite one was when she was in first grade, she told her sweet white-haired teacher that she looked just like her grandma. the teacher said, "how's that?" to which she replied with great affection, "you have the same hangy down skin on your arms, and those blue lines on your legs." ouch!

about a year ago, my innocent little one year old boy was watching sesame street when this clip came on. he pointed at the tv and said, "mommy! mommy!" i was touched that he would compare me (or confuse me) with norah jones. ok, so maybe his vision wasn't too sharp and all he saw was the long brown hair. whatever the case, it was sweet.

now he's two and a few months and talking and understanding a lot more. this morning over breakfast we were watching pbs and a commercial came on for amazon grocery. there is a woman, clearly not a morning person, wearing a huge bathrobe, with disheveled hair and a grumpy face. her kids are running amok and she is ransacking her kitchen cabinets searching for coffee grounds. she even stands up on the counter, throwing things over her shoulder, only finding one empty coffee can after another. while this is happening, finley points at the tv and says, "look, it's mommy! and in mommy's dress!" and proceeds to giggle and laugh. (yes, i wear my robe a lot, almost every day, even over my clothes! but is it my "dress", my uniform? according to finley i guess so). so then the commercial goes on to say, if you use amazon grocery service, you'll never run out of whatever the particular item is you need, yada yada. at the end, the woman sighs and smiles and sips on her steaming cup of coffee. after which finley burst into laughter and exclaimed, "she NEEDS her milk!"

i guess i better just prepare myself for all the honest statements that will come out of finley's mouth over the next few years. hopefully he won't say much in public places, or to his teachers, grandmas or strangers!

do you have funny stories of toddler honesty? if so, share them with me!