Censor The Parrot

To my son Tommy,

You have your father's talent for remembering lines from movies. You have your father's enthusiasm for talking in movie quotes as well. I enjoy this and have noted how your conversational vocabulary has really blossomed, but there are dangers.

One of your favorite movies is Mrs. Doubtfire. In that movie, Robin Williams imitates Porky Pig as he tells off the director of the cartoon he was doing the voices for. You have taken to this quote and when I heard you stutter out, "P p p p p p piss off Lou" at the dinner table, I nearly had my dinner come through my nose. We were having shrimp curry, so I am sure yellow rice gushing from my nostrils would have made for quite a sight.

So I dub this stage of our life "Censor The Parrot" age. You will get tons of laughs for things you say. The more inappropriate the more laughs. So our challenge as parents is to teach you what is right and wrong to say, while resisting our own urge to laugh, and in spite of the positive reinforcement you will get from others. Right now you are still open to our opinion and explanation of why you should not say certain things. I wonder how long that will last. You already question us thoroughly on why something is not good to say. On a positive note, if we come up short on this challenge, you can always become an actor or stand up comedian.

Sincerely with love from your dad,
Leo