Austin Texas Real Estate Blog

Gotta love kids and their unique (innocent?) perspective on life.  Nice post!

Cute post. Yes, kids say the funniest things.

So True........I miss being a kid........LOL

Duane Hosek in the Black Hills of South Dakota

Jason - Thanks for the compliment, and your comments.  Yes, kids definitely have a different outlook sometimes.

Bob & Carolin - Thanks for reading it, and for your comments.

Duane - Me, too (sometimes).  I am really happy with my life these days, but there were certain ages that were really fun.

Kids are the best! I especially love the age from about 3-5 when some of the  stuff that comes out of their mouth makes you do a double take.  Of course - with my daughter I have to be especially careful as to what I say - especially when I am in the car.  I do not always realize what comes out of my mouth until I hear her say it.

One day I was walking in to the house from getting my mail and a neighbor drove past and honked their horn to say hi.  Next thing I know my 3 year old daughter said "dumb ass driver!"  Well needless to say I knew exactly who she heard that from when it came out of her mouth.  So now when I drive to Los Angeles in rush hour traffic, and I am stuck on the freeway I have to keep the radio up and my voice down when someone cuts me off!

Donna - That is a funny story (now).  I have had to bite my tongue many times in the car and in other situations.  On a related note, when my son was about 19 months old, we were in Chicago-O'Hare Airport waiting in a REALLY long line.  My wife took my son to walk around a little while to pass the time.  When she came back, she said, "Listen to what he is saying." 

I quickly figured out what he had heard.  He was slapping his forehead and saying "FOO!" and "FUH!" and "FEG!"  Then, he would giggle like crazy.  Thankfully, he never actually said that word, but he was awfully close.  I thought it was funny, but I didn't want to encourage it, so we tried to divert his attention to something else and he soon forgot about it.  Clearly, he had seen someone who was exasperated slap his head and say this and he thought it was hilarious.

Kids do say some of the funniest things.  My 2 year old cracks me up daily!

JASON:  Nice post!  It reminds me of that show that I loved back in the day "Kids Say The Darndest Things."  I wish that I had chronicled some of these funny moments.  I can share one with you that my nephew (that now lives in Texas) said.  He was 3 at the time.  My in-laws took him to a mall at Christmas time to surprise him and take him to see Santa.  Well they were the ones that ended up surprised as my nephew shouted out "Holy S#@%, it's Santa!"  Needless to say, it was great for a laugh, but also a little embarrassing.  Kids are like little sponges, so we also need to watch what we say if we don't want it to be repeated.

Jason, I have some Japanese friends and they help keep this kind of thing fresh for me, too.  A "PED XING" sign really had them stumped.  (Doesn't look like it says Pedestrian Crossing at all!)

Hi Jason.

I always wondered why we drive on a parkway and park in a driveway.  And I don't remember where I read this one but a mom was nagging her son all afternoon to clean his room.  Later that day the son came into the kitchen to fetch the broom and asked the mom, "Can I use this or were you going somewhere?"

 

Here's another one I read somewhere...how clever words can be.  An english professor asked her students to spend the entire period writing a short story.  The story had to include religion, royalty, sex and mystery.  After about a minute one student approached her desk and dropped his paper in the box and left.  She picked it up and it read: "My God, the Queen is pregnant.  Who did it?"

 

Jason My grandchildren have me cracking up regularly. They say the darndest things!

Jason:  Isn't it a shame that we as adults can't keep that same level of honesty as we had when we were kids.  I remember early on, two kids having a terrible fuss and each went home mad.  The mother of one of the kids wanted to fix everything and get invoved which actually made matters worse because now the two mothers were at odds.  I remember my mom after observing the situation said, sometimes it's best to let the two kids work it out.  And for sure, it wasn't long the two kids were over it and playing together again.  The two moms, well that took a few days before they got over it.  Kids see things from a fresh and new perspective and I love looking at the world through the eyes of my grandkids.

Amazing how a child's perspective is so different than our own. Perhaps we have lost some of that "innocence" along the way! Kids are great, aren't they!

Too funny, it is odd how the meaning of words change throughout time.

DAWN - When they are little, the laughs come constantly.  Hold onto these memories.  My kids are 8,6, and 1 now (actually 17 months).  They still make me laugh all the time.

ADAM - I love the Santa story with your nephew.  Priceless!  It seems funnier later, as I'm sure his grandparents were mortified when it happened.  Thanks for sharing this.

SARAH - That is a good point.  Sometimes we get a fresh set of eyes with people from other countries.  Thanks for your comments!

MARY - Good ones.  I remember George Carlin telling the one about the driveway/parkway - I hadn't heard the broom joke before.  Thanks for sharing these!

DIANE - No question about that.  Thanks!

DONNA - That is a good and accurate story.  People sometimes have a hard time forgiving and moving on, especially when it involves their children.

GARY - Yes, kids are terrific and they really bring joy and laughter to our lives.  My perspective changes just from being around them.

LINDA - Thanks for your comments.  I never would have thought of either of those words/phrases in that way if I hadn't heard them from my son. 

Jason, Thanks for reminding me what I have to look forward to.  We have a six month old, so it won't be long now.  We could actually learn quite a bit from kids if we tried.

DAVID OR KRISTIN - I'm not sure which one of you commented, but congratulations!  It won't be long before your baby is walking, talking, dancing, running, and laughing with you.  They are a treasure indeed.

Jason - Actually it was my brother-in-law and sister-in-law that brought my nephew to the mall, so it wasn't as bad.  I have another good one (not as dirty) that happened today.  My son and I like to spend time together walking around the neighborhood for exercise.  We walked past the block that leads to his Kindergarten that he will be starting next week, and I told him the name of the small street that leads into the school was Club Lane.  He says to me, and I quote, "That's a lame name for the street. There's no club there so why do they call it that.  It should be called School Street."  I looked at him and said, "You know buddy, you're absolutely right.  That would be a better name."  The street actually has no houses on it, and it's only function is an entryway to the school.  Why don't they call it "School Street?"  I guess the world of a child is too illogicial for the adults making these decisions.

ADAM - I agree with your son - that is pretty lame, especially when there's no club there.  Thanks for sharing this one.  I have another interesting thing from today.  We host a small group from our church every Sunday evening (three other couples and their kids), so we spend a little time cleaning up before they come around 5:00 or so.  I asked the kids to clean up the stuff on the stairs (not usually there, but we collected their things and put them on the stairs so that they could be put upstairs).  My son said, "But that's borrrriiiinnnggg!  What could we do to make it more fun?"  My daughter, who is six, said, "I could play my kazoo while we work!"

Oh, to be young again.....

Jason,

Once again you have posted a great post, keep it up!

Christopher - Thanks very much for the compliment and for the encouragement.  I try to mix it up with property info, humor, etc.  Your "What the..." post was awesome and it seems to have been a big hit  Well done!

Hey fellow Texan!!!  I'm in Michigan now (left TX in my 20's, not the 20's) and still get homesick for my old home state.  Still make it back a couple times a year to see friends and family. Cute story:)

Hi Jason,
I enjoyed your post, kids say such funny things.  I know my 3 yr. old does.  This weekend we went to a friend's house and she had some guinea pigs which she showed my daughter.  My daughter looked them and said "hum, those sure aren't pigs Ms. Sonia--they must be something else".  

Jayson

When you stopped at the Subway-Burger King- Shell station was that to get a snack in the restroom? :)

Jason, It was David (not Kristin).  You are so right...kids are such treasures.  They sure do help us to forget about all the worries and stress when they laugh and smile, huh?

ED - Thanks so much for your nice comments.  What part of Texas are you from?

CYNTHIA - I liked your story as well.  Kids can be so matter-of-fact sometimes.

GARY - It was for restroom only as I recall (I don't remember if we actually ate there).  Thanks for commenting!

DAVID - That is spot-on correct.  I can forget about a lot of daily stress when my kids are doing something funny.  Thanks for your comments -

Hi Jason - originally born and raised in good ol' West Texas:)  ABILENE.  Went to college at Angelo State.  Hung out a LOT in AUSTIN during my college years (are you a LONGHORN?). My stepdaughter currently has a home for sale in Round Rock. 

Ed - I am actually not a Longhorn - I went to Southwestern University in Georgetown (just north of Round Rock, as you probably already know).  If your stepdaughter needs any help, I am VERY familiar with the Round Rock market, having lived in or near Round Rock for almost twenty years.  Take care -

Ok Jason, got another one for you, "hot off the presses."  My son's friend went with his family to the U.S. Open tennis tournament yesterday.  It was extremely hot and humid, and too much for a lot of people to take.  Outside of the stands was a misting area with a small pool of water.  It was so hot that men were getting down to their underwear and going in.  This 5-year-old boy didn't want to strip down to his underwear out of fear of embarrassment.  His mom told me that she had to negotiate with him to get him into the water.  She's a nurse and knew that he was overheated and miserable, and needed to cool down.  Talk about a closer, the kid got her up to $23!  He wanted $27, but she told him that it's only worth $20, but would go to $23 to get it done.  Fast forward to the next morning and he wakes her up looking for his $23.  She thought that he'd forget about it, especially since he really enjoyed the water once he got in.  Nope - he was going to get what he negotiated.  His mom takes out 3 $5 bills and gives it to him.  He asked how much is that, she says it's 3 $5 bills, he says, how much does that add up to, she says $15, he says how much more is needed to get to $23?  She took him to the store and he bought something with his well-negotiated funds.  I think that I'll have to create a separate blog out of this story, but I wanted to preview it where it belongs, on your blog!

Kids are great!  Just wait until he's 15 like my daughter... you can imagine where my mind goes when she speaks with all these social pressures these days.

At least he is putting together coherent thoughts.  Here are some typical exchanges with my son. 

Hey, Jack do you know where we're going? 

"Hat!"

Jack, are you ready for dinner?

"Hat!"

ADAM - That is a great story!  My kids are a lot like that these days, although I am a better negotiator than they are.  I offered to let my son and daughter play for five minutes before bedtime last night, and my son said, "I won't accept anything less than 15 more minutes."  I told him that my offer was now zero minutes.  He said that five minutes sounded good - I actually allowed him about ten.

MATT - I can hardly wait!  Just kidding - I am not looking forward to the teenage years, although my niece and nephew are starting to seem like decent people again now that they are fifteen (they are twins).

PAUL - How old is your son?  Please don't say fifteen.

Jason,

I know what you mean.. it truely is amazing how they see things and take the words literally.  My son is in the "WHY" stage and we get a lot of questions and explanations everyday...  It surely impresses how they see and think

MET - I remember the "why" stage quite well, and we get to experience it again pretty soon with my daughter.  Thanks for checking out this older post!

Jason, you gotta love the things that come out of the mouth of babes.

Sorry I have to comment on something that Adam wrote about the fountain at the US open. I am pretty sure that someone had sent me an email several months ago with that exact same story. Some things sure get around.

Love the stories.

My 4 year old daughter questions everything.  This week she asked me, "WHERE DO BABIES COME FROM".  Now she is a very smart 4 year old and I can't get anything past her.  So I told her that mommy and daddy made an art project and created her.  Well she then proceeded to ask, well mommy I know you and daddy made me but how did I get in your tummy?  She kept on asking and asking. And then telling me my answer wasn't good enough.  Oh boy I'm in for it now.  She's 4 going on 16. 

ROB - Thanks for your comments.  I appreciate you reading this older post.  Have a great week!

STACY - That sounds a lot like my daughter, who is now six.  She reads chapter books regularly.  Both of my older kids are profound thinkers, and they often ask difficult questions.  It doesn't seem to get easier as time passes.  Thanks for sharing your funny story!

Hi Jason:  Thanks for some new fun stuff from your son.  While they are young, what they say is usually what they mean.  He lost his lunch means he lost his lunch.  Later on as children begin to understand the nuances of our language, they get more into "idiomatic expressions..." or "idioms."  These, as you know, are things that are said that mean something different from what the words actually say.  That is also what makes learning a foreign language so difficult when you get to idioms.

All of which reminds me of a story, so here goes:  Mom and Dad had taken their son, Herbie, to speech therapists all over the city.  Herbie was seven years old, and had not yet spoken his first words.  They were "beside themselves" with fear.  What is wrong?  Was it something we've done ?  Is it some sort of vocal chord damage ?  They were so overwrought about it.

Then... one night Mom, Dad and Herbie were at the dinner table.  All of a sudden... little Herbe opens his mouth and says quite loudly... "Where the HECK is the ketchup... dammit." 

Mom and Dad just about fell off their chairs.  Herbe's first words... and that's what he says ??  So they asked him... Herbie, we were so worried... nothing, not a word from you... for SEVEN years.  And now... your first words... are... "Where the HECK is the ketchup ?  Why those words... why did you pick those words for the first time you spoke ?

Herbie turned toward them and calmly said... "Well, Mom... everything's been just fine...  until now !"

Karen Anne - That is hilarious!  Thanks for sharing this joke/story.  You're right - it is very hard to learn idiomatic expressions in other languages.  I have always heard that English is among the most difficult to learn.

Gotta love kids... they a different way of looking at life (and some of the crazy things we say also). Thanks for making me laugh, keep doing what you do.

VINCENT - Glad you liked this one.  Thanks for continuing to read and comment on my blog.  I really appreciate it.

Jason-These are probably my favorite posts.  The sweet innocence of children.  They remind us of how good the world really can be most of the time.  You're inspiring me to write some posts about my children.  

JULIE - Thanks for commenting on this older post.  I appreciate that.  I enjoy writing these, because I enjoy my kids so much.  Go for it - write some of your own!  I look forward to seeing them.  By the way, I realized tonight that I wasn't a subscriber to your blog - now I am.