So I picked my (almost 3 year old) nephew up from preschool the other day, this is not an overly often occurrence, but it is close to home and he loves when I do so sometimes I pick him up on the way home from work and let him once again show me everything about his school. This day I decided to do it because it had been a long ass day and I could really use some Hendrix sized hugs, turns out I picked the right day. I come in the door and hear him bellow out my name and see a streak of toddler as he comes tearing across the room and flings himself into my arms. After a freaking amaze balls hug I put him down and he pulls me over to the fish tank chattering on about the fish and the shark (toy) and the fish flowers (tank plants) etc.. Here’s the interesting thing about my nephew, he was slow to learn to talk, but now he loves talking to anyone who will listen… at home; apparently at school he doesn’t say much of anything and when he does he gives one word answers, it’s something we are working on at home and with the teachers and we think it is either a shy or confidence thing. Well… not this day… His teacher came up to me as he was dragging me around the room showing me different things and asked to speak to me. She said that Hendrix had spoken a whole sentence with her extremely clearly today, “that’s fantastic” I said, his teacher looked uncomfortable Teacher – “Um yes it is, and we are so glad that he is starting to feel comfortable talking around us here at school so we don’t want to discourage that, but the sentence he said wasn’t the best thing he could have chosen” uh-oh Me – “Oh, okay, what did he say?” Teacher – “We were sitting on the floor and I was playing with some coloured balls with him and I put one behind my back and said to him ‘where is the red ball?’ He pointed at my back and I brought it back out and said, ‘you’re right, here it is!’ He then put the green ball behind his back and I asked him where the green ball was and he pointed and said, ‘up Hendrix bum’, he then pulled it out from behind his back with a smile and exclaimed ‘here it is’”

Apparently green ball went caving
http://clubpenguin.wikia.com/
Me – Simultaneously horrified and trying desperately not to laugh “Oh my god, I am so sorry I don’t know where he got that from” Teacher – “Look I think it was done really innocently, I don’t think he even meant it as rude because there was no cheekiness in it. The thing is that we don’t encourage the use of the word ‘bum’ at school anyway so…” Me – “I’ll talk to his parents” Out of the mouths of babes… Between my two brothers I have 2 nieces and 2 nephews, both parent pairs have brought them up referring to their bum as a bum rather than a bottom. I was always brought up to say bottom, but my Mum and Nan were all about the young lady manners. I do not feel that the word ‘Bum’ is rude and it is an acceptable term in Australia for bottom which is considered more English, where do you stand on the Bum vs. Bottom debate?

I have no problem with a good bum 🙂
http://www.panmacmillan.com.au/

…but some just prefer Bottom
Original pic from http://cheerybeggar.wordpress.com/2012/10/12/the-wisdom-ofnick-bottom/
Please also feel free to share when your tots mouths have landed you in hot or embarrassing water 🙂
June 26th, 2014 at 4:42 pm
Not so much embarrassing but the child I used to look after once knocked over a part of his train track, and said; “Oh shit”. It was so beautifully in context of what had happened I had to laugh!
June 26th, 2014 at 4:59 pm
It is so hard to not laugh isn’t it? How come half the time when they are doing or especially saying something they shouldn’t it is so damn cute???
June 26th, 2014 at 5:08 pm
Exactly! Haha it’s hilarious
June 26th, 2014 at 11:45 pm
I love it! That’s a boy for ya! Bum is a cute word and a lot better than some of the other words he could have used 🙂 That little guy will have a great sense of humor!
June 27th, 2014 at 10:09 am
Thanks! Yes he already has a wicked sense of humour and it is really fun to see what tickles his funny bone without any input from us. Turns out slapstick humour is funny no matter who you are lol.
June 26th, 2014 at 11:51 pm
Love it! My opinion might not count since its American. My daughter keeps trying to use Butt which I really don’t like from a little one. We’re sticking with buns or booty. I love bum-it sounds so cute to me.
June 27th, 2014 at 10:15 am
I welcome all opinions and I was hoping to get input from overseas too so thanks for commenting! Bum I think is on a similar level to Butt, but (haha) I think Butt has a harsher sound to it. I feel the same way as you do about that word, but I think for me it is more because of the feelings that have been attached to that word (from my point of view) through songs like ‘Baby got back’ lol.
My Aunt inspired by the Look Who’s Talking movies had all my cousins saying ‘tushy’ the first time I heard it as a kid I was like, “what is a tushy?” They thought it was hilarious.