Well, Hello Jerk!

I’m beginning to wonder if I should start grocery shopping alone.  It’s always been a family affair.  After this week and last, I don’t know if it’s such a good idea anymore.

Alyssa was riding in the car grocery cart this week.  It’s the shopping cart with a kid’s car on front so that your child can pretend to drive through the store.  She’s absolutely loves riding in the car!  As we were walking down the baking aisle, a nice lady was bent over looking at cake mixes.  Out of nowhere, Alyssa stands up through the front window of the car and says, “Well, Hello Jerk!”

I froze for a minute as if I had just been zapped with a stun gun.  Where in the world did this come from?  I have never heard her say anything like this before and she doesn’t even know what a “jerk” is.  We both yelled at her, told her that what she said was not nice, and made her apologize to the lady.  I also apologized again to the lady and said that I didn’t know where she picked that up.  The lady looked at me and said, “You’ll be surprised at the things they pick up.”

It seems like we’re having more and more embarrassing incidents.  I really think that Alyssa thinks she’s being funny and she’s just repeating something silly she learned at school.  When I asked her what she said later that day, she didn’t even remember.  She spends a lot of time with other kids and I’m sure she will be learning lots of things.  It’s my responsibility to teach her to be respectful to others.  Sometimes I struggle with finding behavior appropriate discipline, but I’m working on it.