At some point, some day, your child will say or do something to really embarrass you in public. Every parent knows it.

Well, my day has come.

Veronica now refers to all adults she sees, and whose names she doesn't know, as either "old man" or "old woman." Let's give a prime example on our way back from West Virginia yesterday: We stop at a rest area. We're alone in the vending machine building, getting a snack and a bottled water. A man walks in, about in his mid to late 20's, and stands before a vending machine overlooking their selections.

And Veronica says, loud enough that I think people on the highway could hear her:

"Mommy? What's that OLD MAN doing?"

So naturally, for the seemingly millionth time recently, I tell her he's NOT old, you don't call people "old," it's mean. Which is when I get the ever-present "WHY?" but that's a beef for another day.

I'm hoping people can laugh this off until I can get her language (or at the very least, her volume) under control. Sometimes you can't tell who she's referring to, like in crowded places, and that's a good thing. But yesterday at the rest area...criminy, I wanted to crawl under a rock. No question who she was talking about, no question he heard her...good grief. Can't wait for her to get over this phase.