Little Ted said... (very loudly) “Look, that man’s got big, pointy ears – he looks like an elf”
Little Ted and his Mummy were in the supermarket and were queuing at the tills.
“Sshh” said his Mummy “it’s rude to make comments about other people’s appearance” And then a little more quietly “especially when they can hear you.”
“But is true” Little Ted said “Do you think we should ask him if he’s an elf. He might know Santa.”
“Sshh” said his Mummy again as she glared at him. “That’s enough”
Unfortunately for his Mummy, the man had overhead Little Ted and was turning around.
“Hello young man, are you talking about me?” said the Elf man in quite a friendly way “I’m sorry to disappoint you but I’m not an elf and I don’t know Santa. However my large ears do help me to overhear what small boys are saying.”
Little Ted’s Mummy went very red and apologised repeatedly to the man, paid for their shopping and left the store as quickly as possible. Once they were safely in the car and away from listening ears, his Mummy tried to explain to Little Ted what he had done wrong.
“The thing is Little Ted, some people are very self conscious about their appearance and it might upset them to hear you making comments like that. I wouldn’t like it if someone pointed at me and started talking about me – it would hurt my feelings.”
“But it was true, he did have big, pointy ears”
“That’s not the point, what I’m saying is that it’s rude for you to say so out loud. That man was fine about it but the next person might not be so understanding.”
Little Ted sighed. Sometimes he found things confusing, like how he was told to always tell the truth and then given a row for saying something that was true.
“What I’m saying Little Ted is that it is okay for you to notice and think something, but not okay to make a comment out loud. If you really want to tell me something, wait until we’re by ourselves or whisper it quietly.”
“We played a whispering game at nursery” Little Ted said. “We were sitting in a circle and Mrs Miller whispered in Jacob’s ear and told him to whisper what she said to the boy next to him. By the time they got to me the message didn’t make any sense. It was ‘Get jam jumpers’ and what Mrs Miller told Jacob was ‘Lets play chequers’
“That sounds fun and good practise for if you ever need to whisper something to me. And it shows how hard it is to pass a message on without it getting changed.“
“Can I whisper something to you now?” Little Ted asked.
“Of course” replied his Mummy “Come closer and tell me what you would like to say.”
Little Ted snuggled up close to his Mummy and put his face next to her ear.
“Mummy, I think that man was a secret elf and he was checking up on who’s been good and who’s been naughty. Will he think I’m naughty for saying he had big pointy ears?”
“No Little Ted, don’t worry. He’ll just think you’re an observant boy with a very loud voice. It’s good to pay attention and notice things, but next time you’ll remember to see but not say.”
The End