Parents, watch what you say

"I can't wait until you're grown." I have to admit, my parents might have said that a time or two while we were growing up. I was in Target this evening, browsing the toy section with Aaron, while Kate was shopping for all the supplies she knew we needed around the house. This woman with her two little kids caught my attention. One child looked around 3 or 4. The other was in a car seat in the shopping cart. The older of the two kept trying to touch everything, which honestly is the notion of half the kids in a toy aisle. After knocking a couple Tonka cars on the floor, the mother had enough. She looked at the little boy, with the face only a mother can give, and she grabbed his wrist while trying to turn the cart away from hitting Aaron and me. Whispering down to the little boy, she said, "oh, I can't wait until you grow up!" I didn't really take that saying as personal as Aaron did. After they left the aisle, Aaron grabbed my hand and whispered something. I couldn't hear it, so I asked him to repeat his words. He said, "that's mean to wish that on her kid, cause some kids like Gracie don't get to grow up. She should enjoy liking him when he's little, cause he's gonna grow up and she's gonna wish he was little again, right Dad?" Holding back a few tears, I agreed with him. He kept hold of my hand for a couple more minutes, then he ran over to the games section. I was left knowing that my son learned something from that mother, even if it was just that she shouldn't have said what she said. I knew she didn't mean those words. But, I knew Aaron thought she did, and that's why it's so important to watch what you say around your kids.