Be careful what you say

I just want to say sorry to my daughter's elementary school right now! Since it's early in the school year, I wanna go ahead and get my apology on the table before she actually says anything so everyone at the school knows I'm already aware it's coming and I'm working on it!

Last week I wrote about her being the baby of the family and since I wasn't the baby, I wasn't aware of these kinds of things but now I'm learning. I realize I'm the parent and it's my job to prevent the baby from being schooled in the ways of her older sisters, but since I'm going right along with her sisters, sometimes I forget she's there taking it all in and obviously not their age.

For example, when her older sisters stand in the kitchen and express how much this hot weather (excuse my French) "sucks", I am quick to agree and follow their statement up with, "Second that!"

But then a few days later, when I hear the 8-year-old tell me that her riding her bike in the gravel "sucks," it hits me that I should have told the older daughters not to say that word the other day and then kick myself for not staying on top of the manners in my house.

And instantly, when I hear that word leave her little mouth, I picture her sitting in school and her poor teacher asking the class how they feel about the hot temperatures these days and my sweet little girl belting out, "I think it sucks!"

Then I picture her sitting in the Principal's office getting a speech about appropriate language followed by me getting a call about her choice of words. See ... this is why I'm apologizing now. Just in case.

My older two girls seem to always be coughing out new, inappropriate, but funny, phrases, no curse words or anything bad, just words and phrases that are probably quite common in Junior High and High School but if used in the Elementary, will land your fanny in detention.

As much as my twisted mind sort of enjoys their creativity with their name calling or their descriptions of what something smells like, I have to keep reminding myself that the 8-year-old is listening and soaking it all in and I'm guessing if she spews that out on the playground, somebody is gonna tell on her, whether it gets a laugh or not.

So ... as I mentioned, I'm just getting this apology out now to everyone at the school and other parents around town that if my daughter spits out some word or phrase that is kinda funny but probably not the most appropriate, please blame her teenage sisters!

Oh wait, no! Blame me, and know that I'm trying to correct the problem by having repeated conversations with the older girls about what is okay to say and what isn't in front of the little kid and being conscious when she is around them so all three of us don't end up in the Principal's office!