Friday, September 16, 2011

Kids say the darndest things



In the words of Bill Cosby, “kids say the darndest things.” The things that kids say are so entertaining, in fact, that a whole show was made about interviews with these kids. Yet I don't need to turn on the TV to enjoy listening to kids. I have a three-year-old that makes me laugh every day with the things she says. The sad thing is, though, that she will stop saying these things one day and we will quickly forget that she ever said them at all. Occasionally, something will remind me of something funny she used to say for awhile and then suddenly stopped. That gave me the idea to keep a record of the “darndest” things she says.

One great way to do this is to do an “interview” with the child and present it in the style of a magazine article. This is one of the easiest layouts to do and it gets your kid involved, too! Just sit down with her and ask a few questions about herself and her family. Favorite colors, animals, and food are the obvious ones. I also had some fun quizzing her about people's ages and other facts. It's amazing how confidently she gives me wrong answers! Then I'll ask the same question later and she'll give me a different answer just as confidently.

Though the answers are cute and entertaining, I think adults can learn something from them, too. For instance, most adults are preoccupied with age. I, myself, worry about my fast-approaching thirtieth birthday, as if me as a thirty-something woman is vastly different from me as a twenty-something woman. Yet my daughter said I was 45 years old, then the next minute said I was 10. To her, I'm just mom. Maybe we should all just see each other in the roles we fulfill and ignore age-related expectations and stereotypes.

For the visual, I included a little collage of photos. She still won't look at the camera and smile long enough for me to get a decent picture, but that's OK. I'll take what I can get and treasure them just the same. For this layout, the silly faces actually went well with the silly conversation.

This is something I could do every six months or so. Of course, I'll have to ask her more advanced questions as her little mind grows. I hope she doesn't get too smart too fast, though. I kind of like her as she is.

Here's my interview with my daughter:

How old are you? 3
How old is mommy? 45
How old is daddy? 10
What does daddy do for work? Makes money so we can eat!
Does he have a computer at work? No!
What did mommy do before you were here? I don't know.
Did mommy work? No, mommy doesn't go to work.
Did mommy go to school? No!
What time is it? 11:30
What day of the week is it? I don't know.
What day of the week do you go to church? Thursday.
What is your favorite color? Red.
What is your favorite book? I-Spy book.
What is your favorite animal? Wildebeest.
What's your favorite food? Noodles!
What do you like to do with mommy? Play with cars and go to the playground.
Who's mommy's mommy? Grandma.
Who's mommy's daddy? Grandpa.
What's your favorite movie? I went to the big room with the big screen.
What movie did you see on the big screen? Blue and Jewel.
Do you shake your tail feathers? No!
Why not? I have a butt!
What do you do at your auntie's? I eat macaroni.
What else? I eat macaroni.
Anything else? I eat macaroni.
How old is mommy? 10
How old is daddy? 60

1 comment:

  1. Just adorable. I'm wondering who robbed the cradle--you or your DH!

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