When my sister and I were little and my dad did that, he would glance back at us and then say "And you don't say that!" It worked pretty well. Neither my sister or I blurted out any curse words in public.... That is until we started using them like everyone else!! XD
I remember being TERRIFIED to say swear words for most of my childhood and teenage years. And I'm not even talking about anything drastic. That sure has changed with young people. I'm all for freedom of speech but there's also a level of common sense that goes along with that.
I hate to be a spoilsport -- this is still a beautiful and poignant strip -- but I'm actually kinda *glad* my parents swore and had little human outbursts like this around me. It made dirty words stop being forbidden fruit, and showed me that it was okay to vent my anger a little when somebody mistreats me. I still have fond memories of flipping people off from the passenger window at my dad's request. :)
I guess that was all pretty good-humored and playful, though, not like just getting angry and snapping. You're still a good dad, for wanting to protect your kid from moments of grown-up bitterness...
The main concern most parents have concerning their kids using curse words isn't the word itself; it's the fact that the kid will repeat that word a bajillion times (usually during the worst times possible) in order to get a reaction from the people around them. Kids are jerks man.
I remember the first time I cursed in front of my father. I was about thirteen and I'd just hit my thumb with a hammer. He just looked at me and said "Don't do that in front of your mother" and went on to educate me on how made-up curse words were safer. But...he was the one who told me Mom had learned more dirty marching cadences in basic training than he had because the men weren't allowed to use them anymore. So after that I wasn't so scared of using expletives.
The stuff you really regret kids saying is never the swearing but when they rat you out - my friends daughter told me that "Mommy farts a lot" the other day.
Tuesday, October 29, 2013 at 06:23AM
Reader Comments (8)
Flashing red diode like a remorse.
When my sister and I were little and my dad did that, he would glance back at us and then say "And you don't say that!" It worked pretty well. Neither my sister or I blurted out any curse words in public.... That is until we started using them like everyone else!! XD
I remember being TERRIFIED to say swear words for most of my childhood and teenage years. And I'm not even talking about anything drastic. That sure has changed with young people. I'm all for freedom of speech but there's also a level of common sense that goes along with that.
I hate to be a spoilsport -- this is still a beautiful and poignant strip -- but I'm actually kinda *glad* my parents swore and had little human outbursts like this around me. It made dirty words stop being forbidden fruit, and showed me that it was okay to vent my anger a little when somebody mistreats me. I still have fond memories of flipping people off from the passenger window at my dad's request. :)
I guess that was all pretty good-humored and playful, though, not like just getting angry and snapping. You're still a good dad, for wanting to protect your kid from moments of grown-up bitterness...
The main concern most parents have concerning their kids using curse words isn't the word itself; it's the fact that the kid will repeat that word a bajillion times (usually during the worst times possible) in order to get a reaction from the people around them. Kids are jerks man.
I remember the first time I cursed in front of my father. I was about thirteen and I'd just hit my thumb with a hammer. He just looked at me and said "Don't do that in front of your mother" and went on to educate me on how made-up curse words were safer. But...he was the one who told me Mom had learned more dirty marching cadences in basic training than he had because the men weren't allowed to use them anymore. So after that I wasn't so scared of using expletives.
The stuff you really regret kids saying is never the swearing but when they rat you out - my friends daughter told me that "Mommy farts a lot" the other day.
We quickly would say "fire truck" after using the f-word in front of our toddler ... now she walks around saying it as a kindergartner. XD