The Bird

Fisher has a new obsession. And it's not the kind of bird that flies in the sky.

One night this week as we were reading books before bed, Emma declared that they have a new rule in their classroom: "we don't hold up our middle finger without any other fingers around it." Good rule. She told me it means "the F word" (which she thinks is Fart), and it also means the H word (hate) and the S word (stupid). Niiiice things our little kids get exposed to when they go to school. So we had a long discussion about what it means (I went along with the F word being Fart, but just told her it was very very rude and hurtful to hold that finger up) and I thought we were done.

The next morning at breakfast Fisher goes on a hunger strike because he's mad that he can't use his middle finger. He asked me all day long "mom, can I use my middle finger now?" I told him it's OK to point with it or even pick his nose with it, but that the way Emma was talking about is like using sign language to say "I hate you."

Last night we're reading scriptures and I look up at Fisher and he's got his middle finger held up in my face. I busted up laughing (it's such a shocker to see your 4 year old flipping you off!), but was able to compose myself enough to remind him how rude it is to do that.

I had to make sure he didn't show Christy (our beloved babysitter) or Ms. Klein (his preschool teacher) what he had learned about the middle finger.

Please let this obsession pass soon! Teslin is a little mimic right now, and she's also very good at the ASL signs we've taught her. I'm sure it won't be long before she masters THIS sign!