is the mom laughing. it really isn't that funny to me. second, she tells the girl - 'say kick her but' ... that is good manners? doesn't matter what word the little girl uses - it's the idea. notice the girls reaction (positive) when she hears the 'mom' laughing... sad video, imho...

other thoughts? am i the only one who doesn't see it as 'cute'?

if she is going to be saying ass, telling her to at least say butt is better than nothing. I was just using the video to make a point... more parents need to be stepping in and telling their kids what is right and what is wrong. Tell them to say thank you, to wait in line, to hold doors open...  I myself tho, do find it funny with the little girl saying she is going to kick the monsters "butt"... thats just me though. Not cute, just funny.

but i do see it indicative of a bigger problem maybe.

how long have you been doing Lauren's Show?

-kpaul

seems to be pretty popular so far, so maybe i'm in the minority. ;)

in any case, thanks for sharing these...

-kpaul

I don't watch a lot online since I'm still on dialup. I watched this one though since Kpaul commented on it.

I have to admit, I kind of chuckled when she said that. In a guilty sort of way. Honestly, it was the same kind of feeling I had many years ago when my cousin, Grandfather, Grandmother and I were helping my great grandmother into her house from the car. As my grandmother was helping her through the door, her "unmentionables" slid down around her knees. Obviously, it was embarrassing for her (had she been cogent enough to realize that it happened) and embarrassing to us as well. After she got in the house, the three of us looked at each other in our embarrassment and spontaneously laughed. We are not people to laugh at other's misfortune, but the absurdity of the situation overcame us.

I think that's what makes the little girl video funny. We don't expect a three year old to come up with something like that. It's out of the ordinary, absurd even, and we laugh.

I agree with Kpaul though. It sounds like the little girl got the phrase from watching a scary movie that she shouldn't have been watching. But I have seen children who were taught to speak this way because the adults in charge thought that it was cute. That's always very sad.

If any of you have read The Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield, you'll remember that there is a chapter that talks about relating to children and how it is a huge responsibility and should be entered into spiritually and with humility. I know, it sounds like a lot to ask for, but there are, in my experience, more people taking that track than you might think. I have a program at my school called "Random Acts of Kindness" that kids and parents love because it gives them an incentive to do good things. I talked to a father the other day who was so proud of his son and the way his habits have changed because of this program that he could hardly stand it.

On the word "butt", I have given up the fight. I didn't use to use it, but it is SO prevalent in our society that it sounds strange not to use it. I frequently have to refer to that piece of anatomy and I've grown tired of trying to find other ways of saying it when the 5 and 6 year olds are saying the word that I won't. It may be another aspect of our society "dumbing down", but I have, as I say, given up that fight.

Ken Ring

www.WarriorsHeartMA.com

for the thoughtful input, ken.

-kpaul

Why is "butt" better than "ass"? I personally think that the child's intent is far more important than her word choice. Her feeling that, when confronted by whatever was in the movie she saw, she'd have to hurt it or it would hurt her, is what I believe needs to be confronted. The fear of something coming out of the TV is pretty high up there too. It bothers me that this film, most parents and adults in general put such emphasis on not using "bad" words. I think that such things are relatively superficial and have little to do with the other example of "manners" that you give.

I do agree that manners should be taught, but at the same time I feel that they don't need to be taught consciously. Children learn by example and feedback (notice how the child smiled when the mother laughed). I hold doors open for people because I saw my parents do it and saw other people thanking them, not because my parents ever told me to. I find the child's comment pretty funny because I admore childhood ambition in general. While I don't agree with her wish to solve her perceived problem with violence, I admire the fact that she was willing to take on whatever force of evil the movie had shown her.