Pages

February 17, 2010

Out Of The Mouths Of Babes

My mother sent me an article she cut out of her paper in Nevada, but she doesn't say what paper.

Examples of What Young Children Had Written For School About The Sea:

An Octopus has eight testicles. (Kelly, age 6)

Oysters' balls are called pearls. (Jerry, age 6)

Sharks are ugly and mean and have big teeth, just like Emily Richardson.
She's not my friend any more. (Kylie, age 6)

My uncle goes out in his boat with two other men and a woman and pots and comes back with crabs. (Millie, age 6)

When ships had sails they used to use the trade winds to cross the ocean. Sometimes when the wind didn't blow the sailors would whistle to make the wind come. My brother said they would have been better off eating beans. (William, age 7)

Mermaids live in the ocean. I like mermaids. They are beautiful and I like their shiny tails, but how on earth do mermaids get pregnant? like, really? (Helen, age 6)

I'm not going to write about the ocean. My baby brother is always crying, my Dad keeps yelling at my Mom, and my big sister has just got pregnant, so I can't think what to write. (Amy, age 6)

Some fish are dangerous. Jellyfish can sting. Electric eels can give you a shock. They have to live in caves under the sea where I think they have to plug themselves into chargers. (Christopher, age 7)

The ocean is made up of water and fish. Why the fish don't drown I don't know. (Bobby, age 6)

My dad was a sailor on the ocean. He knows all about the ocean. What he doesn't know is why he quit being a sailor and married my mom. (James, age 7)

32 comments:

Rock Chef said...

Love it!

Thanks for sharing these!

Brian Miller said...

eight testicles and pearls for balls...although having pearls might not hurt so much when kicked or grazed...

Mike Minzes said...

Kids have the greatest answers!

Jeanie said...

I love the way kids tell it just as they see it, with such honesty.

Anything Fits A Naked Man said...

You know, I've never given much thought to the "pregnant mermaid" thing, but this six year old raises a valid point! Hmm...I need to ponder this today!

Thanks for the smile!

Kathy M. said...

OMG these are funny! Except for the two that make you want to cry. Thanks to you, and your mom, for sharing them.

DJan said...

What struck me is how differently each of us as children takes the same information and processes it in our heads. These are fascinating, funny, and sad...

Syd said...

Those are great. Thanks for sharing.

Ina in Alaska said...

What a riot!! Loved all the notes about the ocean!! When I was a child and would see the large bright moon create a "path" of moonlight, I used to believe I could take a stroll on it and visit the moon dwellers.

LadyFi said...

Pearls for balls? That's kind of cute!

Thanks for the laugh.

Kristina P. said...

I need to send these to my husband!

Ronda Laveen said...

Just goes to show, real life is better than anything we can make up. Very cute and telling. Love the photo too!

Cheryl said...

Ah...like a fresh breath of air to me here in the cold of winter! I loved the photo even more. Yes, indeed, out of the mouths of babes...sometimes the best quotes DO come from children...so innocent and right to the point. Thanks for brightening my day!

Shanel said...

WOW!! Children.... that's a good email and made me smile today... thanks for reading my blog and commenting too.... loved it:)

Debby@Just Breathe said...

So precious and so funny....

Mike said...

How do mermaids get pregnant!LOL! Kids can come up with some crap! LOL

Bill Lisleman said...

bean eating sailors - you gotta love them.
Poor Amy and maybe James. If they are in the same class they probably could swap stories.

Ms Hen's said...

I love this one best, "The ocean is made up of water and fish. Why the fish don't drown I don't know. (Bobby, age 6)"

Julie said...

I'm still laughing about the oyster's balls! This is hilarious! And the kid who asked about the mermaid is brilliant. I'm sending your link around to some friends who need a good laugh!

Kelly L said...

Oh this is very funny!

Thanks for the laugh.
Love to you'
Kelly
http://www.ivebecomemymother.com

Chrissy said...

Oh my, these made me laugh. Just what I needed after a hard day at the office.

Shadow said...

out the mouths of babes... little amy made me sad, and james made me giggle.

Vanessa Rogers said...

I once asked about testicles in a restuarant while I was in high school when refering to calamari. The six year old has an excuse, I was just plain embarressed!

A Free Man said...

These were fantastic. Hilarious and in one case, quite sad.

Liz Mays said...

I love the coming back with crabs!!! LOL

beth said...

my mom sends these to me all the time and they always make me laugh...

just for a day, I'd love to be a kindergarten teacher and keep notes like this to share....

CiCi said...

Thank you everyone for the lovely comments. I so enjoy what comes out of the unrehearsed child's mouth. I like to see how they think and sometimes I learn something from them.

gayle said...

I love the cute things kids say!!

secret agent woman said...

Very cute.

terri said...

These are adorable!

Mary Witzl said...

Those are great!

I've wondered that about mermaids myself. Glad there's someone else who thinks about such things.

heartinsanfrancisco said...

I've always wondered how mermaids get pregnant, too. If Helen finds out, I hope she'll tell me.