It is important to me that my children are polite, which includes using the magic words, “please” and “thank you.” However, being polite also includes saying, “excuse me,” when necessary. In our house we say, “Excuse me” when we need to interrupt someone, when we burp and yes, when we pass gas. Needless to say, those two words are said quite often in the Howe house or at least I thought they were.
The other night I laid Molly down on her changing table to get her ready for bed. Of course we took our time as I asked her where her head was, where her belly was and where her nose was. She dutifully and proudly pointed to her head, lifted her shirt to show me her belly and picked her nose. What a smart 15 month old! Then, following our routine I kissed her feet. She smiled so wide I saw she had a new tooth. As I was changing her diaper the inevitable happened, she passed gas. I looked at her and said, “really, Molly?”
Did she say excuse me? NO, not Molly. She waved her hand like a queen and said, “bye, bye.” It was like she was saying goodbye to a good friend. I was giggling as I finished changing her. As I put her to bed, I remembered something her brother once said to me.
Tyler was about 2 ½ when he passed gas pretty loudly. He turned around, looked at me and said, “Oops – my butt just burped.” Out of the mouth of babes, in the comfort of our home. Again, I couldn’t help but laugh. However, he was as serious as could be. Excuse me for saying this, but my kids are pretty funny, and yes, polite most of the time!
True confession of the night: Sometimes the words “excuse me” just don’t express how we really feel.
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