As parents, we marvel at our childrens' ability to absorb information (when they want to). When they choose to listen, information goes in, and it stays in.
We do our best to ensure that what we teach and subsequently what they learn is helpful and important. How to count, how to read, how to climb, how to treat others, etc. There are so many things that we teach both consciously and subconsciously and they learn even when we sometimes wish that they hadn't.
There are times when we wonder where they picked something up, wondering who at school has taught my 5 year old "what the heck" (which could of course be much worse).
Sometimes we're lucky and they mishear something we've said. My favourite example being in the car, when I called another driver a dickhead to which my son replied "Where?"...
Me: Where's what?
Boy: Where's digger?
Me: "Phew". Oh, didn't you see it?
Boy: No.
Me: It's gone now, maybe we'll see it on the way home.
And then there are the things that we don't remember teaching them... The things that we probably shouldn't have taught them, but we find it funny, so we do it anyway.
I remember teaching my now 5 year old that the woman in the pointy hat is "Mummy". So whenever he'd read Meg and Mog, he'd point to the page and say proudly "that Mummy". This was especially amusing when his grandparents would come and visit and he'd get the book out, point and share what he'd learned... much to everybody's amusement.
I can't remember teaching this to my 2 year old.
One of our 2 year old's favourite TV animations (and books) is Julia Donaldson's "Room on the Broom" or as he likes to call it "Mummy Broom". I have absolutely no recollection of teaching him this and I actually think that he learnt it from my 5 year old (who my 2 year old copies endlessly)! Either way, I find this hilarious.
Especially hilarious because he goes to nursery 2 days per week. At nursery, they have a picture of this book by their entrance which he points to and so proudly exclaims "Mummy!"
I can't be the only one who finds this funny 🤣
the-mrs-gorilla is trying to teach him that the book below is Daddy, but unfortunately for her, he's choosing not to learn this lesson!
I can't be the only person who finds this funny and has done this, so please share any similar stories that you've got.