Watch what you tell the kids

Children are told way too much. Case in point: My wife was kidding my son Trevor that he was dressed like a ragamuffin. He, of course, came back with; What does ragamuffin mean? My wife explained that Ragamuffin was a boy who didn’t dress right for church on Sunday. She then added, "It’s also a boy or girl dressed poorly in public." The boy or girl could be rich or poor, but some kids’ parents didn’t care. Anyway, the next day at church, my son was being the forthright kind of kid he was and just blurted out, “MOM, that boy over there looks like a raggamuffin, and my wife just turned to the kid’s mother with a very embarrassed look and said, “Boys! YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT THEY WILL SAY!"

The next day, my wife had a long talk with Trevor. “Don’t repeat everything your mother says in public, okay? Unless I say it’s all right first.” I added, “Yes, I definitely need to watch what I say, too.” My son, being the guy he was, said, "I wouldn't ever say what you say!"