A brief conversation took place as my mom was babysitting Eric at her batik factory in Tuaran some time ago:

Old man (who happened to be there): Apa nama kau? (What’s your name?)
Eric: Don’t speak Malay. Speak in English.
Old man: Uncle mana pandai cakap Inggeris. Bapa kau urang English ka? (Uncle don’t know how to speak English. Is your dad an Englishman?)
Eric: (Paused a second before replying) Yes, my daddy is English.
Eric’s grandma: Mana ada! Daddy kau urang Cina tu, bukan English! (Is not! Your Daddy’s Chinese, not English!)
Eric: (adamantly) No! He is English!
(Just so you know, Eric’s dad is barely a Sino-Kadazan, much less an Englishman)

Kids — when they think they’re smarter than you, the things they would do just leaves you speechless….