"I Hate You."

Those three little words came out of my daughter's mouth to me the other day. I asked her why she was misbehaving and she flopped herself onto my bed and said, "Because I hate you!" I felt for a moment like the wind had been knocked out of me. Where had she learned that word? I would rather of had her say asshole then to say she hated me. She clearly knew how to use the sentence but not the power behind it.

I sat her down and my mother's voice projected into my head and out of my mouth, "Maggie, we don't say hate. Hate is a strong word. You can say you are disappointed in something or sad, or even angry, but you don't say hate. It is hurtful." And then I hugged her and told her I loved her and let her be.

Now whether she has heard me refer to 'hating' things in offhand comments, or saw this on TV, I am not sure. But I do know that it brought me to a moment where I realize she is growing up. Maybe she is only 3 and a half but she is forming memories, and decisions, and overwhelming attitude. She is loving and funny and wacky and so smart. But now more than ever I have to be loving and caring and watchful of my language. They are always listening and you never know what they will pick up and carry through.

I did meet my future teenager for a brief moment though, and it was not pretty.