Out of the mouths of…
I think I’ve told you all about my youngest daughter. She’s the 12 year old who wants to be the coroner or medical examiner. Or a surgeon. She just hasn’t decided whether she wants to cut into people who are dead or people who are alive.
Ahem. Yeah. We call her Dexter around here. It used to be because of Dexter’s Laboratory. Now? Huh–let’s just say I had to snort when I first watched an episode of Dexter–about the serial killer.
Not that my kid is in any way violent. She’s just incredibly cerebral. Likes figuring things out. The kind of kid who’s so smart she scares you Well, she certainly scares my father. When she was about 9, he looked at me and said, “I just don’t get that kid,” and I said, “Dad, it’s because she’s smarter than you are.” And he agreed.
Anyway, brains notwithstanding, she’s also got this incredibly cutting sense of humor. Very dry. She doesn’t let the zingers fly the way the middle daughter does, but she gets off a good one every now and then. Like last week, we were at a car dealership (yay! Bruce finally got rid of the p.o.s.!) And for some reason she and her sister were goofing off, one of them pretended to punch a wall, and Bruce said, “I did that once. Punch a wall. It hurts.”
And youngest, entirely deadpan, replies, “Oh. Because you had to live with Mom-Mom?”
(Those of you who have been around for my m-i-l stories will probably really understand why that slew me!)
I bet she keeps you on your toes LOL. Kids are amazing anyway, but really smart ones, they just blow me away. Good luck with that one *g*
Comment by Stacy ~ — March 11, 2008 @ 6:52 am
Those dry one-liners are one of the best parts of being a parent.
And I just caught my first episode of Dexter this week. It was disturbingly good.
Comment by Heather Harper — March 11, 2008 @ 8:15 am
Last night at the baseball game I was sitting with another couple who we’re friends with and who’s son is good friends with mine. They also have a 5 year old that makes me laugh non-stop. I went to the concession stand to get my 12 year old a bag of chips and the 5 year old went with me. Of course, he got the Extreme Airheads he wanted too.
About an hour later he started saying, “I’m thirsty. I need a drink. I’m thirsty.” His mom said, “Well, what do you want.” He must not have been paying attention to that because a minute later he said, “Mom, would you go get…..” That little blond head with those cute little glasses shifted over to me and he whispered, “Miss Jodie will you go get me—”
We all busted out laughing. One trip to the concession stand and he’d already figured out who was his best bet! Kids are sooooo smart and some of the things they say are priceless.
I’ve heard of a kindergarten teacher who sends home notes the first day of school that says: You don’t believe everything they tell you about us, and we won’t believe everything they tell us about you.
Comment by Jodie — March 11, 2008 @ 8:37 am
Heather loves Dexter but I haven’t seen it. I did get the first season on DVD though and am going to watch it while I am out.
I know she is a good judge of character. When our current gov was first running for office, she said she didn’t like the look of him- he had cold eyes and she pictured him with little kids. Well, seems she was proved right at least on part of it. And she is letting us all know it too.
She has always been one of those who comes up with the dry one-liners, just like her step-father. Sometimes I wonder about the two of them. Especially when they gang up on me.
Comment by ev — March 11, 2008 @ 9:17 am
I
Dexter. I watched the first season and became obsessed with it so when the second season came on, I watched it every Sunday and then watched the episodes online as well. I can’t wait for season 3. I haven’t watched the show on regular cable, cause I don’t want to sit there and nit pick over everything they take out or change to edit it down.
My bestfriend Tony is also obsessed with the show and has decided that I’m a cross between Dexter and his sister ha-ha.
I
Dex’s sister.
Comment by Heather Mairi (Ev's daughter) — March 11, 2008 @ 10:39 am
Good morning Plotmonkeys and Jungle Babes,
Leslie, it sounds like things are never boring around your house.
Hope you all have a great day. I’m off to the Orthopedic surgeon to have my ankle treated.
The sun is shining, the birds are singing. Spring is definitely in the air here in Colorado. Yay!
Cher
Comment by Cher — March 11, 2008 @ 11:04 am
Your girls sound like my boys….
Comment by katie — March 11, 2008 @ 1:09 pm
Leslie, your kids sound way too smart! But look where they get it from, huh? Glad your family can laugh together–that’s the best way to enjoy life!
Comment by Fedora — March 11, 2008 @ 1:38 pm
I love when kids drop one-liners. My middle niece can deadpan with the best of them. My sister says she gets it from me…I say she gets it from both me and her dad.
Comment by Liza — March 11, 2008 @ 1:55 pm
My youngest brother was really good with the dry humor as a child! He would often keep us laughing at the dinner table. Now that he is an adult he still has a dry sense of humor, glad it has stayed with him!! Kids are sometimes to smart!! My three grandchildren have been blessed with the smart gene & I am amazed at what they know & how smart they are.
Leslie, I’m sure your household is always interesting! It is such fun to see your kids growing into adults & watching where life takes them. It is quite the journey.
Comment by Donna M — March 11, 2008 @ 2:56 pm
Comment by Susan — March 11, 2008 @ 3:38 pm
Glad I’m not the only one who can appreciate a smart kid. Smart mouthed…occasionally smart assed. But all around smart.
Speaking of the car dealership…Bruce has interesting pictures. And the interesting story of car shopping…on his blog. http://quixotichierophant.blogspot.com/
Comment by Leslie — March 11, 2008 @ 5:34 pm
leslie- Somehow, I have missed Bruce’s blog. No more. He’s on my favs and I will have to check him out daily too. O.M.G. He’s too funny.
How’s the new car???
Comment by ev — March 11, 2008 @ 5:47 pm
He is very funny, Ev. But he doesn’t always blog every day–only if he has something interesting to say. Last week was…interesting.
And the new car’s great! I don’t drive it, it’s his baby. Long story that I’ll try to make short: when Bruce and I started dating, he came to my parents house for the first time and saw my Mom’s powder blue, nice, new Taurus parked in the driveway. Beside it was my Dad’s car. A Datsun sedan, white, dinged up, rusty, with “Dragon Fires” painted along the side, complete with Dragon’s breath. (He bought it used.)
You gotta remember, there were 6 kids in my family. We had a great family, nice upbringing, but fabulous cars for the commuting Dad weren’t high on the priority list.
Anyway, lately Bruce has been mumbling about always having to drive the Dragon Fires car. And I promised him he wouldn’t have to….couldn’t exactly afford to go out and get him a Porsche like my Dad did after my Mom died and he hit his mid-life crisis without his financial advisor. But the Megatron car was a nice compromise that we–his aesthetic sense, my checkbook–could swing.
Comment by Leslie — March 11, 2008 @ 5:51 pm
Seems as though the old phrase “out of the moths of babes” suits your daughter quite well!!
Pat Cochran
Comment by Patricia Cochran — March 11, 2008 @ 5:54 pm
OOPS! That funny-looking word should read mouths, not moths!!
Pat Cochran
Comment by Patricia Cochran — March 11, 2008 @ 5:55 pm
leslie- we know the feeling. since we are down to one in college and able to afford nice things, my poor hubby went and got a Chrysler 300c with the 5.7 hemi in it- fully loaded. My truck is 6 years old and doesn’t have many bells and whistles, unlike his. My turn!!!
Comment by ev — March 11, 2008 @ 7:34 pm
Luv the story of your daughter. I so feel you on the car issues.
Comment by Debbie — March 11, 2008 @ 7:54 pm
kids are scary smart these days, Leslie
And way smarter than their parents.
We try not to let our 18 year old daughter know this. She’s smug enough as it is.
Comment by Jaci Burton — March 11, 2008 @ 8:05 pm