Do you care if your kids say "bad words"? What do you consider a swear?

My husband used to swear like a sailor but he is better now that the girls are older. Occasionally he says "Jesus!" which I consider to be a swear and don't want my kids repeating. A few weeks ago my dad was working on his deck and said "Dang it" immediately the girls started saying it. Then he dropped the hammer and said "Oh crap" Sure enough all night they were saying "Oh crap!" I actually found it hilarious but tried not to laugh. They still sometimes do it if they drop something or can't get to something they want. They go "Oh crap....dang it..." LOL

 

I have heard mine say oh, crap, but I don't say anything about. I figure the less attention I give the less they'll say it. My husband and I rarely use foul language around the girls, so they haven't picked up anything like that. I do get on them for saying stupid or idiot...I tell them to use silly instead. We have played rhyming games and they have said a few choice words then, but I've never told them that they said anything wrong because they had no clue what they were saying.

 

We don't swear in front of the kids (actually since I'm with the kids most of the time, I rarely swear at all) because I don't want them repeating it. They will get enough exposure to swear words in high school, if I can put it off until then, that's great!

Rachel, we also try to limit the word stupid, I have always hated that word!

 

I swear and so do (eta: actually, "did") my girls. :blush: BUT...once I realized they were repeating things I said (even when I'm not realizing I say it!!) I catch myself ALL the time now and have really gotten control of it. They still hear the words here and there and correct the person who has used a swear word. Great example: we were visiting my mom a few weeks ago and she said "Oh sh!!". So one of my girls said "GG, it's not nice to say oh sh!!. Daddy says oh sh!! sometimes but we shouldn't say it. Oh sh!! is a bad word." How could we NOT laugh!! :laughing:

I don't like fart. It makes me ill. So I told them it's not a "polite" word for us to use. I don't like stupid either, so I tell them the same thing. I don't consider them "bad" words or swear words, I just try to intsill that they are not polite words and I would not like them used here.

 

I don't like them calling things (or others) "stupid" or "idiot", even though if I forget something I'll say "mommy's stupid or mommy's a doofus" which they'll repeat...as far as swearing is concerned they've picked it up from everyone, us, my parents and my IL's...I try to ignore it until they start repeating it over and over again, to which I'll reprimand them...

as for fart - well thats just a funny word in my house!

 

I try to watch what I say too! I love the idea of "silly" instead of stupid!

as for fart... my husband taught my ds to say it, but I told him I didn't like it, b/c they wouldn't use it appropriately etc... we did change it to "toot"... which is still pretty funny b/c then when they or anyone does it... they'll say "toooot"... oh brother! I'm thinking that the ignoring thing would be best for this... so that we don't have them announcing other people's "toooots"!

I don't want them swearing, and I wouldn't want them to say the whole "oh crap" thing... so that means I have to watch my #1 phrase!

 

We don't swear in our family and they won't hear it from any extended family either. A few family members may use a couple of euphemisms like crap or crud, but we just tell them that they may not use that word. We also use toot for fart.

 

Oh my goodness I laughed do loud when I read this!!

 

I really try not to say anything in front of the boys. My DH watches some shows that don't have the best language but we just don't comment on them. The boys haven't caught on yet.
DS1 has learned about Adventure Time on Cartoon Network and one of the twins picked up a "wonderful" phrase from it. He told a playdate of DS1, "I am sexy hot" Thankfully the boy didn't hear him. How would I explain that one to the mom.

 

I cuss a lot. My husband cusses a lot. My kids might have uttered "F**k" once or twice and "s**t* a few times more, but I tell them that it's an adult word and they're not allowed to say it. I haven't heard it from them in about 4 months.

I fell that it's not the word itself, it's the sentence. For me, hearing "I'm not your friend" or "you're bad" is way worse than "s**t" or "f**k". And my kids do get in trouble for saying (big one right now) "you're not my friend."

And Tina, if you think it's going to be high school before they cuss, try 4th or 5th grade. That's when all of the cussing started back when *I* was in elementary school. :laughing:

 

I usually don't swear. DH might once in a blue moon. I have problems with saying shut up and stupid. The girls are quick to remind me that "we don't say stupid mommy" .

 

We don't swear in front of the kids. There are a few words I don't like them to say and tell them that...stupid, fart, Oh my God, dang it, those are some that come to mind.

 

I'm sort of irritated that my girls have started using the word butt. "I swing on my butt, Mommy." (as opposed to swinging on her tummy). Neither DH nor I know where they got it because we don't use that word with them. They haven't been in daycare since May and weren't using it then, so I doubt they are remembering it from that far back.

I accidentally used the word "shoot" the other day and both girls immediately repeated it. DH has sort of a potty mouth, so he's going to have to start cleaning up his act.

 

We don't curse in front of the kids. Although, I am bad about saying "Darn it and Crap". Thankfully, they have not started repeating it. I don't like the word fart either. The kids say "tooter pooter".

 

I totally agree with this. I have caught Eli, and to a lesser extent Mark, saying "Oh, sh*t!" and "F*ck." Like Michelle, I must have an "oh sh*t" family. I've tried to ignore it, but Eli is not giving up on "oh sh*t," so I tried to cut down on my cussing a little. I also told him I was saying "Oh six," which was a mistake because his "oh six" sounds like "oh sex." :laughing:

I'm a little confused as to what's wrong with fart and butt?? :unknw: I guess the gratuitous use of fart and butt could be annoying, but unless one prefers flatulate and gluteus maximus (or derriere) those are the right terms. Just like penis and vagina, which many people also consider "dirty" words.

 

Mine say toot and booty, but sometimes they say butt. I don't like fart. I don't consider that a bad word, just crude. I've heard them repeat dang it after me a couple of times, but I think that's the closest I've come to cursing in front of them. In general I don't curse, so if they start with bad language I know it's from my husband. They have been talking a lot about penis and vagina lately, which I'm hoping they won't do in public just b/c it's embarrassing for me.

 

I just don't think they are pleasant sounding words for little girls to be saying. We say bottom instead.

 

What about two wild and crazy little boys? I'm teasing you a little, but that brings up an interesting point. I think in general people are more tolerant of men and boys swearing. I've never heard anyone say it's not manly or masculine for men and boys to cuss or use crude language, but I bet we've all heard it's not ladylike.

 

Well, I don't allow any of my 400 students, boys or girls, say it in my classroom either. I think that if I had boys, I would still have the same language expectations for them.

 

I know that's probably true, but my experience with the older kids has been that elementary school isn't too bad, but once they hit high school all bets are off. The language some of those kids use is shocking!

 

About 4-months ago I said "Oh damn it" when I dropped something. For two weeks Lily said it when she dropped something. We tried not to make a big deal out of it so she stopped. Then out of nowhere Max starts saying it about 6-8 weeks ago. The worst part is they use it in context and I try so hard not to laugh that sometimes I have to step into the other room to compose myself.

DH is so mad at me for saying it in the first place. I have explained it could have been worse like S***, F*** or MFer. However, he still glares at me when they say it. I have try to say "Oh man" or "Oh my gosh" right after they say it to get them on a new phrase.

Lily did say Jesus a week or so ago. I don't know where she got it from, but I just looked at her and said "Amen". Now she associates Jesus with her Amen prayers at bedtime or church.

 

I don't think the euphemisms like darn it are so bad...I actually say fart to the girls all the time too. LOL, they are potty training and whenever I hear that noise, I squeal, "you're farting! lets go to the potty!" And then they say "fart...bad gas" LMAO

 

My daughter says "fork" but it sounds like "*%#$" does that count ??

 

haha!! both of mine do that, at first I was really taken aback, I wasn't sure what they were saying... then I realized it was 'just' Fork! love it!

 

shortly after posting this I was putting my two to naptime, and my dd was putting on pants and was saying "o---- f-ct" it sounded really bad... until I realized she was saying "other foot"! anyway, thought I'd share the funny...

 

We rarely swear, but I say "d&*mit" occasionnaly. It's amazing how my older DD has picked it up. And in the right context! Once, when she was about 4, she walked into the bathroom where her older brother had just left a bit of a mess with his aim at the toilet and shook her head, muttering, "d&*mit, Owen" as she wiped it up and put the seat down. I try to calmly tell her that's a word she's not to use.

I really don't like fart either and my oldest always said "gassed" but, again, my DD has managed to make fart a regular part of her vocabularly. I try a mix of ignoring and reminding that that's not a word we say. I grew up with 3 sisters and we just never said it, so it really grates on me. I did have to laugh when my 8-year-old said, very guiltily, that he knows what the "f-word" is. I asked him and he said "fart". Love it! I know that won't last...

 

One of my dds says damn it and omg and she got it from me, I dont like it and my dh hates it but whats done is done we try not to make a big deal about it, I guess it could be worst..

 

true that!

i do swear too much, and i've tried and tried to stop. especially since one of mine has picked up the f word and the other sh*t (weird that they picked up separate swear words!). cussing does not bother me, but i know it bothers others, and i've been embarrassed when they've used these words around other people (who didn't realize what they were saying--my guys are a little behind in speech). i'm trying hard to cut them out now, before the boys really understand what they are saying. but i'm finding it pretty f'ing hard, lol.

this was my fb update a few days ago, and i got more reponses on this than anything i'd written in months:

me: "urgh, sorry i forgot your socks, henners!"
henry: "oh, f*uck."
me: "remember our new word? oh, goodness!"
henry: "yea! oh, goodness. f*ck!"
yikes...

 

Both my husband and I have potty mouths. I hate to admit it, but it is all our fault when the kids start up. We have been trying to do, "oh snap" and it is pretty funny to hear them use it. Better than Charlize yelling "stupid a$$" at her brother when he is annoying her in public OOPS!!!! (that was all daddy)