Children possess a remarkable knack for surprising us with their words, often leaving us in fits of uncontrollable laughter. This is precisely why shows like “Kids Say the Darndest Things” have enjoyed such immense popularity. Unlike adults, children lack the filters that typically inhibit self-expression, making them refreshingly uninhibited and candid. The beauty of their innocence lies in their genuine sincerity; they aren’t trying to be humorous.
Let me share an anecdote that exemplifies this: Picture a mother and her son enjoying a pleasant meal at Taco Bell (yes, I know, but that’s not the punchline). Before long, the young boy manages to have the entire restaurant in stitches, while his mother turns beet red with embarrassment.
My three year old son had a lot of problems with potty training; and I was on him constantly. One day we stopped at Taco Bell for a quick lunch in between errands. It was very busy, with a full dining room.
While enjoying my taco, I smelled something funny, so of course, I checked my seven month old daughter, and she was clean. Then I realized that Matt had not asked to go potty in a while, so I asked him and he said, “No.”
I kept thinking, “Oh Lord, that child has had an accident and I didn’t have any clothes with me.” Then I said, “Matt, are you sure you did not have an accident?
“No,” he replied.
I just knew that he must have, because the smell was getting worse. S00000….I asked one more time, “Matt, did you have an accident?”
Matt jumped up, yanked down his pants, bent over and spread his cheeks and yelled…. “SEE, MOM, IT’S JUST FARTS!!!” While 100 people nearly choked to death on their tacos, he calmly pulled up his pants and sat down to eat his food as if nothing happened. I was mortified!
Some kind elderly people made me feel a lot better, when they came over and thanked me for the best laugh they had ever had!!! Another old gentleman stopped us in the parking lot as we were leaving, bent over to my son and said, “Don’t worry son, my wife accuses me of the same thing all the time…I just never had the nerve to make the point like you did.”
