Moms

Mother: Did you see your aunt mailed you a present?
Four-year-old boy: No…
Mother: Yes. You can have it when you get home.
Four-year-old boy: Oh. Did she get one for Dustin*, too?
Mother: Yes, and it’s something I think you’ll like, too. It’s a book about sharks and sea monsters.
Four-year-old boy: Oh, Mom, there’s no such things as sea monsters, except back maybe a million years ago when people thought there were.
Mother: Well, sharks are kind of like sea monsters.
Four-year-old boy: No, they’re not!

–F train

Overheard by: Duncan Pflaster

Little girl, about hobo wrestling with a bush: Mommy, why is he doing that?
Mother: I don’t know, honey.
Little girl: Maybe he’s the gardener!
Mother: Maybe! Or maybe he’s just fucking crazy.

–Washington Square Park

Overheard by: tj

Child when Ahmedinejad was in town: Mommy, is the bad man here yet?
Mom: He is, and we should all be very scared.

–Columbia University, 113th & Broadway

Overheard by: Tadi

Mom: Where’s your shoe?
Little boy: I don’t know.
Mom: Where did you lose your shoe? You can’t just lose your shoe. How can you keep walking around after you lost your shoe without noticing it? Where did you lose your shoe? You’re crazy.

–34th & 7th

Mom, about man on train with flowers: Awww, he has flowers. They’re probably for his girlfriend.
Eight-year-old daughter: Mom, you never know! They could be for a boy.

–LIRR

11-year-old boy smiling mischievously: Mom, I’ve been desiring a lot lately.
Frazzled UES mom: Would you please stop doing that?

–80th & York

Overheard by: Nicole

Toddler in stroller: I… Want… Ball!
Young mother: Oh, like you’ve been good and now you deserve a ball? Are you kidding me?

–Duane Reade, 8th & Broadway

Jamaican nanny on cell: Girl, I just got back from a four day vacation. Where? My bed. We fucked nonstop for four days like dogs. I couldn’t even get out to take a shit.
Mother: Excuse me, there are children around.
Jamaican nanny: Fuck the children!

–Food Emporium, UWS

Overheard by: Dan

Three-year-old girl, creeping toward pigeon: Woof! Woof!
Mom: Maya! What are you doing?
Three-year-old girl: Woof! Woof, woof!
Mom: Maya, that’s not a dog, it’s a bird… And birds don’t bark.

–Sakura Park

Overheard by: eating my ziti

Four-year-old boy: There are too many people on the train. Someone needs to get off.
Mom: Who needs to get off?
Four-year-old boy: Us!

–A train

Overheard by: otilio