A common teenage complaint goes something like this: “Mom, stop! You’re embarrassing me!” Oh, if only they knew. Sometime between when a child learns to talk and when they learn tact — those innocent little ones will say things at the most inopportune moment. Maybe when they’re teenagers we get to turn the table on them. Then again, maybe what they’re saying now is the grandparents’ chance to turn the tables on us.

Drop Dead. My mother-in-law has a condition called Lupus, which requires a lot of doctor visits. On one such occasion I brought my son. As we passed through the cancer ward my son blurted out, in the middle of a crowded room, “Is this the hospital where people go to die?” He was three, and I still don’t know where he got that. Needless to say, I got out of that room quick.
–Brownsboro, TX

Dirty Hands. My husband and I are trying to teach our three year old to be more diligent about hand washing. We live in a very multicultural community and were going up to our apartment via elevator when a black man got on. My son took one look at him and said, “Boy, are your hands dirty!” I turned three shades of red, but luckily the man just laughed. At least it was a great way to begin the next lesson — everyone is different.
–Toronto, Canada

Hold Your Tongue. We were at a church luncheon with the theme of celebrating every woman for who she is. As I was collecting my three-year-old daughter from the nursery another lady walked by and said the name of a fellow church member with whom I’d had some conflict. As we were walking by the kitchen my daughter very loudly said, “We don’t like (insert lady’s name do we Mommy?” As I turned to shush her I saw the lady in question in the kitchen doing dishes, well within earshot. How mortifying!
–Green River, WY

There is a certain kind of embarrassment that only a Mom can truly understand. Our MomMoments column is filled with these war stories of motherhood. We’d love to hear your stories so please share with us!