Brain teaser: how many elephants?

ok so there was this happy forest where the birds sing a diferent song every day and the bees hum a different hum every day. then there was a bridge that crossed from the happy forest to the sad forest. the sad forest was not a pleasant place to be. there was a family of elephants in the sad forest, and they were going to go to the happy forest. so the dad goes across the bridge and then the mom goes across the bridge and then the baby elephant goes half way across the bridge and sayas " mom, dad, and me, we are four." why does hew say that?