You Better Watch Out

By Kristine Byron

The holidays were fast approaching. Many of the homes
in our neighborhood were decorated with lights, snowmen and
reindeer. It was a real treat to drive around with my two-
year-old daughter and hear the oohs and ahhs as she took it
all in.
Kendall was a very precocious child, talking early and
with great expression and drama. As she was very apt to
repeat excerpts from every adult conversation she over-
heard, it became obvious that we needed to watch what was
said around her.
It was a shock to me one day as Kendall dropped her
toy and said “Jesus Christ.” My first instinct was to
reprimand her, then I realized she was just repeating words
she had heard me say in frustration.
“You can’t say that, Kendall. It’s not nice.”
“You say it, Mom. What do I get to say?”
“Mommy shouldn’t say it either, so let’s say ‘darn it’
instead,” I suggested.
That seemed to pacify her and the holidays were now
rid of any unexpected and embarrassing outbursts of
swearing in front of family or friends.
A few days later, my mother called and asked if I
would bring Kendall over for lunch so she could show off
her granddaughter to her friends. On the way to my mom’s
house, we passed a beautiful manger scene on the center
divider of the road. Never having seen anything like it,
Kendall asked what it was. She was fascinated and seemed
to enjoy the story when I explained it to her.
When we reached Grandma’s, she couldn’t wait to get in
the house and tell everyone what she had just seen. The
door opened and she ran in. Out of breath and excited, she
told everyone how she had just seen Joseph, Mary and the
Baby “Darn it” in the manger.

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