I Was Mortified! - Cuyahoga Falls,OH

I was in a barber shop getting my son's hair cut once, and my (at the time 5yo) daughter piped up with "Mom! We're the only white people in here!"

/facepalm

My response: "Yes dear, thank you for noticing."

Oooh dont sweat it! Most men are proud of their big ol beer bellys! Now, if it were a woman, I would have scooped up my kid and ran like hell.

Luckily my kids havent done this yet, but I know its coming!

YES!!! We were at an outdoor mall walking down the stairs and there was an extremely overweight woman in front of us and my 3year old daughter said "mommy, that lady is big like an elephant...look mommy how big she is". It was an observation she made on her own, we don't call people names or give them labels. I was so embarrassed and had to stop and go back up and explain...oh man!

Yes, but even worse is when one of your four year old twins says "HEY LOOK!!! THAT MAN HAS A HUGE BELLY!!!" and your other twin turns to her sister and says "HE SURE DOES!! AND IT'S BECAUSE HE EATS TOO MUCH!"

I just about left the cart and ran out of the store alone.

Yes, my son did this to me when he was about 3. The man he was pointing at had such a hurt look on his face. I apologized for my son. Once we got out to the car I told my kids that people come in all shapes, sizes and colors and that no one is better than anyone else.

Um, yeah. My daughter was almost 3 when she saw a Little Person at the mall and said, "Awww, he's so cute and little like me. Maybe he wants to be my friend." I must have turned 10 shades of red trying to explain to her that he was a grown-up. Thankfully, the guy laughed, waved and said hi to her. Yikes!

Also, my dad has had his leg amputated and has a prosthetic. It's pretty fun to go out in public with him and see what kids say. He only ever wears shorts, so it's always visible. I remember one time he picked my husband and me up from the airport after a trip and this little boy - about 6 years old - asked him what happened to his leg. So, my dad starts to explain what happened and the little boy listened politely. Then the kid says, "No, I mean like, what did they do with your leg? Did they throw it in the garbage or is it like in your house in a drawer or what?" Hahaha... My dad thinks that the BEST story ever.

Once when my oldest daughter was about three we were having lunch at a McDonalds in an urban area. Out of nowhere my daughter blurts out "wow there's a lotta black people in here!"
I think the complete look of mortification on my face was visible to all! And surprisingly I didn't get any dirty looks (that I could see.) I think most people are pretty forgiving of the bluntness of small children. And after all, she was just making an observation, right? There WERE a lot of black people in there, lol!

If it makes you feel any better, my mom, who has dementia, does this too. And she herself is morbidly obese. I had to quit taking her out in public (she's a falls risk too), and then we hired a part-time nurse for her, who started taking her out again. Nurse said my mom tried to get another mom's attention by loudly saying "hey, fat lady!" ARGH!!! Nurse said everyone took it in stride, but I would've been mortified for sure!!

While going to a restaurant once when my son was about 5, we happened to be seated next to a man who had no arms. He was eating while holding the utensils in his bare feet. My son was of course enthralled, and I was mortified by some of the things he was saying in his excited state. But, I soon realized that I wanted to watch him as much as my son did, and when we passed the man's table on the way to the bathroom, my son said "I like how you are eating." And the man was nice enough to accept the compliment and chat a while with us. I think that experience taught Mama something as well: don't be afraid of kids' natural curiosity. Seeing unusual people helps them learn to appreciate the diversity we all live in.

My friends were sitting in a restaurant in Chicago today, and two Muslim women in full buquas walked by pushing strollers and their 9 year old daughter exclaimed "Wow, did you see those Ninjas pushing strollers? I didn't know Moms could be Ninjas!"

Today in the changing room of a very expensive clothing store (I was trying on a dress, my son inside with me): "Mamma (loud voice) I see your boobies and your private part (lace underwear..ugh)!!!" I try to tell him to be quiet but he keeps giggling, when we got out of the room there were two young (male) sale assistants exchanging looks!!! Oh, the things they say..

I tell my children right there, "Yes, isn't it great!? God made us are all so different! Now let's not point out people, it's very rude." The person is usually thankful I addressed the issue without the hush scolding, sometimes, they even turn around and talk to us, to show off their amputated leg and compliment my kids eyes. Other items they act embarrassed. Once we get to the car, I tell my boys it hurts people's feelings to talk about them, and if they see something they are curious about, they can ask me later privately and I will explain it to them. We see a lot of burn victims, amputees, disfigured and morbidly obese people around here.... so my boys are always asking questions!

C'mon, who's kidding who? One poster said, "Oooh dont sweat it! Most men are proud of their big ol beer bellys!" NOT ! ! !

If it were as easy to loose it as it is to gain it I'd already be skinny. Every lost pound was a real pain mentally. Having to fight the desire for food, not for the nourshment, but for the flavors is horrible. If I could completely give up food, it would be a lot easier. But eating half a meal is real, real hard. I have fasted for 10 days before, only drinking water. It was hard in the evening of the first day, the second day and the 4th day. After that I didn't have the overpowering urge to eat something. I had no desire to eat at all. I have given up coffee, cold turkey. No problem. I've given up tea, cold turkey. No problem. I gave up soda, cold turkey. No problem. But you can't give up food, and I love smoked cold turkey (pun).

I've struggled with food for as long as I can remember. I know I'm not alone. And what's worse, I now have medicine I must take with food.

Good luck to you and yours.

My daughter was 6 when 911 happened. We happened to have a flight the next week and she was nervous about the guards, etc through security.

First she questioned why they had guns. I told her this was to protect us because of the terroriist attack.

Well it so happened that a man wearing a turbin was on our plane and she said... Mom is he a terrorist? Ouch.

Yep. We were in a department store, and the lady checking us out had short hair, and her name tag said "Jennifer" or something like that.
My son loudly says "Why do you have a ladies name, when you look SO MUCH like a man" That was one of his best ones.
Also, to a acne faced teenager at the college I go to "Your mother needs to take you to the doctor, I think you have chicken pox"

And how about to a young African American at the splashpad "Pull your shorts up, I can see your bum crack, and its hairy"
YEp, been there!

My cousin's boy-was 3, lives in England, was on the subway in London for the first time in the big city. There was a black man sitting across from them and he said "what kind of a creature is that?" There was no place to hide on a moving subway. She just pretended he was talking about something else and hoped the man didn't hear him. Later she gave a lesson on diversity-and realized she needed to take him out of their small village more often.

My sister was in line with my niece, then about 3 - a very VERY LARGE african american lady got in line behind them. Sis noticed niece looking, eyes getting big - niece goes "Mom! That lady is very.." Sis slaps her hand over mouth - Niece removes hand "Mom! She's very.." Hand over mouth again. Niece waits - removes hand and says "I was just going to say she is very, very dark!".....

Ohhhh yes, my oldest a few years ago made a comment about mommy look he is so FAT!!! I pointed out God made eveyone different shapes and sizes...then she seen a little girl in a wheelchair and she said mommy why is that girl in a chair and I told her that God makes everyone special and sometimes special is different, different is good because if we were all the same it would be boring. I told her the little girl had angels to help her and the chair was her legs because they wouldn't work.

Been there, unfortunately. I was at a store with my son, he was bout 2. We got in to line to check out and just happened to be behind very large woman. My son looked up at her back side and said rather loudly, "that's the biggest butt I've ever seen!" Luckily she did not hear, but plenty of other people did.

My cousin's precocious daughter did this once when she was about 2. She saw an extremely large lady for the first time and was just awed by her. She had seen overweight people before, many in our own family, but this woman was extreme. She said loudly that she was so big. She was all wide eyed and in wonder about it because she had never seen anyone like her before. My cousin apologized and tried to leave, but her daughter just kept saying in amazement as they walked out that the lady was so big. My cousin felt horrible about it and talked about it for a long time. I remember my mom took my brother, when he was about 5, to my uncle's house. They were horrible housekeepers, and my brother just kept looking around and saying over and over - what happened here? is there a disaster? what happened? My mom was mortified, and this was her brother's house, lol!

My 2 1/2 year old son pointed and yelled and made "joke" about someone's teeth once. He called them "Bubba" teeth (my brother had been at our house a few weeks before with those fake plastic ones... you know the kind..).... well, the cashier's weren't fake. :/

We were at my doctor's office to get a sonogram to find out the gender of our third child. A very pregnant lady came out of the office. My just turned three year old yelled, "Why she's fat?" When I tried to change the subject, she just got louder.
Another time, when my oldest was 2 or 3, we were at the grocery store and passed a man with no arms. My daughter turned around and yelled, "He's got no arms! Where he's arms!?!"
We talk about how everyone is different and it is not nice to point out things about people unless it is positive. However, when I was pregnant, my little thought lots of people were pregnant (when they weren't), so we said you just don't mention that at all.

My own kids are grown, so this was many years back...

We were in a little local grocery and it was probably late September/early October. We came upon two elderly nuns - in FULL habits

"Hey look, mom - witches!"

I about fell to the floor, but the two ladies just smiled as I tried to explain that they were nuns and that is what they wore (kids weren't quite old enough to understand much about the Catholic ways, plus we're a different faith).

A couple of years ago I was in the grocery store with my daughter- she was about 3 years old and she spot a larger African American man and as loud as can be she says "Mommy look- there's a brown man like Daddy. But Daddy's not fat like he is". She was just beginning to notice the difference between herself, Daddy, and I. (I am white, my husband is black, and my daughter is half Latina). When she first figured out our skin looks different she would say Daddy is dark brown, I am light brown, and Mommy you are a ghost's color. Thanks El for pointing out that I need a tan. :) Anyway- the grocery store thing- I aplogized and explained to my daughter how we all are different on the outside only and calling someone fat can hurt their feelings. I have a sister who has cerebal palsy and mental retardation and is in a wheelchair and having that in her family she is starting to not see differences as different anymore. She's around people who are all colors, sizes, shapes who also have different degrees of disability. But in our family- that's the norm for us. And she's getting that. Hope that makes sense.

When my son was 4 , we walked into swim lessons and he said very loudly, "that boy has boobies '" (he did :) Then once at Walgreens he said about the lady at the register "that lady has funny hair" . Oh my. Lots of explaining :)

Oh my. My oldest son has a pretty good sense of propriety, but he's said a few things that make me cringe. His little brother, however, just doesn't seem to understand! He always says things very loudly, too boot. "Look, that man is fat. He's really fat!" And when we go down the dairy aisle, he likes to tell me how milk with a red lid makes you fat, so we don't buy it. Of course, there are always people with "red milk" in their cart, or have their hands in the whole milk dairy case.

Or how about when my son shouted, "Is that a girl, or a boy? It looks like a boy, but he has long hair and an EARRING!"

We don't drink coffee, as a matter of religion, and it's been quite embarrassing lately to have my kids, in a very judging tone, say, "Eew! He drinks COFFEE!" as if it's a red-letter crime or something. It's hard to teach your kids your own standards without them shouting them to the world at inopportune moments!

And then there are the just plain funny things they say, like when one of my boys, riding in the grocery cart, started waving his hand in front of his nose and announced, "Eeew, it smells like someone farted!" I wanted to disappear!

Or when boy #2 was misbehaving in church at the age of 2, so I picked him up to take him out of the room, and he yelled, "Don't taze me, bro!"

I can thank their father for teaching them those last two phrases!

So far I get amused looks! But I know that day is coming when we too will have these wild comments...I did hear my DD make a fat comment about a lady in the parking lot.. We were in the car...I did say honey...yes she is heavy but God made people in all shapes and sizes and we don't say things like that out loud. Can't help but laugh because kids do say the darndest things don't they?

Had my 4 yr old at walmart and he was like "mom that lady is missing her front teeth!"... The woman was talking to my son and was good spirited about it but ugh it was embarrassing!

Um yeah, my first daughter (when she was 1) pointed at a "little person" and screamed "big baby!...big baby!"...then proceeded to laugh hysterically.

She also pointed out a big man one time and told him to get the baby out.

Yes i know this feeling well.

Don't worry. This kind of teachable moment happens to everyone!

At least, I would addres it at that moment and say something like, "You probably didn' mean to, but what you said could have hurt that man's feelings. It's not polite to say things about people's looks unless you are saying how nice they look".

Then look at the person. If they seem upset, I would walk over with my child and say, "I'm sorry if we offended you". If my child was over 5 or 6, or clearly old enough to know better, I would make sure they did the apologizing.

I believe most normal people understand kids say stuff, but we can help make up for it by letting them see that we care about correcting the behavior.

My daughter yelled, at the top of her lungs, "look at that old grampa over there. You're not my grampa. Who's grampa are you?" She's tiny and cute, so the old man came over to talk to her, introduced himself, and told her about his grandkids.

I haven't had any moments like that yet, but I'm sure I'm headed for it with my daughter being 2 and a half.

but my mom said my older sister when she was 3 or 4 went to the grocery store with her mom (grandma) and she was pushing the cart with her in it. Well Grandma went down a different isle and all the sudden my sister yells out " Somebody HELP ME, HELP ME! Somebody HELP ME, HELP ME. I want my Grammy!" LOL My mom was definitely mortified. People looked at her like she was stealing her own child.

Well, I'm sure the "large" man knew he was large...lol!

I'm LOLing at the answers and stories you're getting HILARIOUS! Every child does this, and with every such situation we have an opportunity for teaching a good lesson.

Of course, I'm sure you've already given this lesson, but for those who are not sure what to do...

Don't be mortified. First, apologize to the person who has been offended by your child. Then stop what you are doing, crouch to their level and explain that we do not say things aloud to people that might hurt their feelings. We don't talk about other people's appearance, unless it is nice. Yes, the man might have a big belly, but look at his nice shirt. No matter how odd or different someone looks or acts, we can find something nice about them.

Best of luck!

I was at Target doing a return and the lovely young lady who was probably just barely 18 had bit of a mustache. My daughter looked at me and quietly asked me - though loud enough for her to hear - "Why does that lady have a mustache?" Eeek!!! Sure it's embarrasing, but can you imagine what she was thinking? The poor girl who was probably already struggling with her self-esteem (because who didn't have self esteem issues at that age??).

Oh my I have several,

My cousin drive a fork lift. His four year old son thinks it's great. One day, while at the grocery store, my cousin's watch started to beep. There was a really large woman in front of them and his son yells out, "Watch out dad she is going to back up!"

I grew up where we were one of the few white families on the block. My sister was waving at an elderly black woman and my mom asked her if she knew the lady. My sister says, "It's Mrs. Reid!" (her teacher). My mom says, "No honey it isn't" My sister says very loudly, "But she's BLACK!" I thought my mother was going to die.

My daughter went on this kick where she called everyone Mommy, daddy, grandma or paw paw, depending on their age. Sitting alone with her in a ice cream shop, these two young men walk in. So my daughter shouts, "Hi, daddy!" One of the guys laughed while I was telling her that, No, it's not daddy. But the other guy got kinda huffy. Eye Roll

So after a while of us constantly reminding her that random people where not, mommy, daddy or grandma, she gets it. Now when we see an older woman she says, "That's NOT grandma." It wouldn't be so bad if she didn't say it like an accusation. Sigh....

When I was about 2 years old my dad's sister and her husband taught me the "N" word. (Yes, I know, they're really classy people. I haven't really seen them since my mom divorced my dad 35 years ago.) My mom was really ticked off about them teaching me that word. Anyway, around that time, my mom took me to the grocery store and there was a black police officer in there. My mom said that I got really excited and started pointing at him. She said that she started pushing the shopping cart through the store as fast as she could to try to get me away from him because she was afraid I was going to call him the "N" word. After she raced me through the store to get me away from him, I was finally able to say what I wanted to say, which was, "police man." She about had a heart attack over all of that but she was relieved that I didn't say what she thought I was going to say.

I think about the worst thing my daughter has said was when she was about 3 years old and she said, "Eew, who stinks? Somebody stinks!" She said this when we got in line at the grocery store behind somebody that smelled terrible. It was hard for me to argue because the person in front of us did have horrible BO and it was making me gag. We got out of that line and went to another one and I explained to her that it's not nice to say something like that out loud because it could hurt somebody's feelings.

It happened when my girls were about 3 - there was a man with no legs and they pointed that out to us. When we got to our car, we made a rule, that if they ever questionned why someone looked different, that they would wait until they got into the car with mom & dad and ask us in private. We explained that not all people are the same, and it may hurt feelings if they point out peoples differences in public. Worked like a charm - and it is cute three years later when they hold a comment in until we get to the car. I hope I can remember set this boundary for baby #3!

I was in Wal-Mart when my daughter pointed to a woman - "that lady has a baby in her tummy". Um, no, she did not. I immediately diverted the shopping cart to the opposite end of the store.