This was actually the name of a real old show, hosted by Art Linkletter. He would bring kids on stage and ask them questions like, “So, Johnny, what did your mommy tell you not to say today?” The answers were always hilarious. When you’re the youngest of three siblings, like me, your family (especially your brothers) never lets you forget those darnedest things! Never mind that I was the cutest little preschooler in the world when I said most of these things. You can be a stranger and still get to hear the story about something I said or did.
Parents like to force vegetables down the throats of their children so they will grow up healthy and properly nourished, whether they like them or not. One of the veggies that I despised the taste of was English peas. I gagged every time I tried to take a bite. I have no idea what put the idea in my young brain, but I knew that a properly diagnosed allergy to them could be my escape plan. So, one day at a doctor’s appointment, the doc asked my parents if I had any allergies. I blurted out, “English peas!” Well, that never made it into my official medical record and it didn’t get me out of eating them, but I still get teased about it to this day. When I went into the military, my dog tags had a penicillin allergy alert on them, for obvious reasons. I wanted to put an English peas alert on them, but they wouldn’t go for that.
Another fun thing for my big brothers was to learn big words first and use them against me. Such taunts as “Doug has garments on!” or “Doug slumbered in the bed last night!” would set me off on an angry denial tirade. I was convinced they were accusing me of something horrific that I knew I was innocent of. But I eventually survived the struggles of growing up as the youngest. I have my own stories to tell on them!
Life has its highs and lows, but we can look to the hilarious moments that we all provided to our parents and siblings as we grew up. I look back at things my children and grandchildren have done that were a source of laughter and joy. It’s the collective memories of our lives, captured in our memory, on video, or even audio, that bring us happiness when we have time to reflect on them. Center your lives on Christ, make beautiful memories with your family, and listen for those moments when your kids say the darnedest things!
Psalms 127:3 (NLT) - “Children are a gift from the LORD; they are a reward from him.”