As a follow-up to last week’s Modern Manners lesson on NOT bringing your kids to the salon, I want to talk about what’s appropriate when kids are around.
My fiance and I are always remarking to each other about things we say to each other that we need to be careful about saying around our nieces & nephews. Somethings, we probably shouldn’t say at all, like what I’m about to tell you, but what can I say, we are guilty of a slip. I have already done so a few times. For example, it’s been reported to me that my oldest niece has been walking around repeating the phrase, “You don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here.” It’s certainly not the worst thing she ever heard, but I do feel a tad guilty having taught a 7-year-old something a bartender says at closing time.
However, my near slip this weekend would have been far worse!! She was watching some kind of kids program. I try to block a lot of that stuff out, it’s annoying. But there was some portion of the program devoted to a children’s talent contest and this was ok. My niece commented that the contortionist in the blue leotard was her favorite as they showed the runners-up at the end.
“Oh, look, she’s from NY just like you are, sweetie. Wait a minute,” I saw on the screen that this girl was from West New York, NJ. Yes, that’s New York, New Jersey.
I looked at my fiance, also from NY, “That must be a typo, right?” He and my future-mother-in-law answered in unison, “No, it’s right.”
“What??” I laughed, “Are you kidding me?” I looked back at my sweetie and came within a hair of doing my best Carlos Mencia “Dee Dee Dee!” And then I saw her face, my sweet, little niece looking up expectantly at me. She had been totally absorbed in her program, but her little ears heard that I was about to issue an opinion on something and her attention was suddenly diverted. I caught myself, thank god, and instead said how silly those people were. She immediately went back to her tv show and I was thrilled to be off the hook.
I am sure her parents would have been thrilled to have to undo that one, which she would surely pass on to her little sister, too. Not to mention her teachers and classmates’ parents when she goes back to school next week!
Whew!
SPF