VIDEO: Tired toddler’s changed accent confuses parents

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (FTN) – A -pair of Terre Haute parents say they were left baffled when their three-year-old said a phrase with a southern accent.

It happened Tuesday night before three-year-old Alex Essex went to bed.

Ami and Chris Essex said the toddler was tired after a long day outside.

“He was being really cute,” Ami said. “He was saying things like goodnight baby…stuff like that…but that one phrase really threw us off.”

It was when Alex said ‘sleepin bears’ that had the parents surprised.

“It almost sounded like ‘sleeping beers.’ He has said bears before, so he knows how to say it,” Chris said.

Chris reportedly does not have too much of an accent, spending much of his time growing up in Michigan, and Ami can get a southern sound if she gets really excited.

“He’s never sounded like that. It was cute, but confusing,” Ami told us.

The parents think tiredness may have been a factor.