Repeat after me...

The day when your 2-year old stops repeating the things YOU want them to repeat and starts repeating what HE wants. A day of reckoning, my friends...

He repeats "please", "thank you", and "yes mam" for the first time. Be still my heart, I've got the tiniest Southern gentleman this side of the Mason Dixon.

He repeats his first Bible verse and I immediately picture him behind the pulpit.

He repeats the colors of our fine flag and suddenly I'm raising a mini-patriot. USA! USA!

Then one sunny day, a minivan on a mission cuts me off. From the back of the car I hear "GOLLY!" in one perfect Texan drawl. I hadn't realized I'd even said anything in my anger. Well, considering what I could have said, I deem myself safe.

Not even a week later, we're on a play-date. My best friend and I are lamenting the dreaded "dinner hour". (Anyone who has ever had a small child in their home between the hours of 5pm and 7pm knows that this time of day...SUCKS. They're hungry. They're tired. The combination of low blood sugar levels, fatigue, and  an inability to wait for dinner to come out of the oven is deadly. Every night small children across this great country morph into angry, wailing creatures who destroy everything in their paths. Furniture is scaled, walls are kicked, and toys are hurled. But I digress...) As we moan and groan about dinner hour, I carefully spell a choice four-letter word to illustrate my point. Spelling seems safe. Unless your toddler loves letters. From across the room I hear "%-#-&-@". One perfectly spelled curse word.

While these are cute stories that my son will, no doubt, hear when he's older, they do give me pause. I feel so proud when Barrett repeats words or phrases that show what a fantastic job I'm doing as his mom. "Barrett repeated his prayers tonight!" Pat on the back for me. But those moments when my careless, angry words bounce back in a sweet child's voice are incredibly humbling. The condition of my heart and attitude are reflected in the chubby-cheeked mirror that God gave me two years ago.

Looks like I've got some work to do...