Imagine you’re the proud Father or Mother of the cutest three year old boy who barely talks, and one day as you’re walking through the mall the little darling starts screaming, “Help me, help me,” to anyone that looks in his direction.

My mother related this true story to me the other day about a friend of hers who lived this – not-so-funny to her – true account with her young son.

Not-so-funny to her, but absolutely hilarious to me. Maybe it’s the way my mom tells this story, as she imitates a young child’s voice, but whether its her or the story I laugh till I cry when she tells it.

Can you imagine this little kid? He would do it whenever he had the attention of adults. He would answer the phone with a tentative “Hello?” Followed by a beseeching “Help me, help me.” Often when an adult would walk up to the little darling and say something like “What a cute little boy,” he would look into their eyes and respond with “Help me, help me”. Not quite a scream but with enough conveyed anguish that the stranger would cast a very suspicious look at the mother. “I’m his mother” she would interject as the boy implores, “Help me.” “Really, I really am his mother.”

“Heeelp meee.”

The poor mother got into the habit of always having family pictures, and her ID at the ready as concerned adults would approach her in response to this very cute little boy looking at them and yelling “Help me, help me.” Parking lots and shopping malls were his favorite cry wolf venues.

To this day, the mother has no idea where he picked this up from, and it’s not unlikely that he heard it on some kiddy cartoon on TV. I really don’t have any major life lesson or any connection to the practice of your life with this story, except be careful what your children watch on TV, and you as well. Oh, and don’t forget to look for the funny side of things.