“Stop f-ing around you dumb***!”
“F-you, jerk!”
“You’re the jerk, *$*#!”
That’s just a tiny excerpt of the filth my 6-year-old was exposed to while standing in line for a water ride at Six Flags Great America earlier this summer.
Fortunately, my little angel had no clue that the colorful language spewing from the mouths of the random teens messing around in front of us at the “family-friendly” amusement park is grounds for a severe butt whooping in some clans.
Namely mine.
As much as I would love for my daughter to reside in a hermetically-sealed bubble, I know the fantasy is just that.
Still, I do get $#@% peeved when *%$#@ people swear in front of my kid.
Kidding.
Well, not really.
Bottom line: I don’t swear in front of my kid, so you better not either.
I may yell, but miraculously, I keep it together when it comes to swearing.
Does that make me a better parent than someone who drops the f-bomb to take the edge off regardless of whether or not his children are present?
%@$* yeah!
Sorry.
All this cussing reminds me of Tina Fey’s joke that swearing at kids is okay because “I think that any person being an a** hole deserves it. Especially toddlers — they’re total d-bags. You gotta let them know.”
On a serious note, according to TIME magazine, the number of kids who use profanity has increased exponentially in the last decade. In fact, studies show children as young as two years old use the f-word on a regular basis regardless of whether or not they know what it means… and we’re to blame.
And by we I mean you… or at least the parents and older siblings who make a habit of letting their potty mouths flap in front of innocent youngsters.
The TIME magazine piece quotes language researcher Timothy Jay, who maintains that “a rise of vulgarity among adults has lead children to curse at earlier ages than ever before.
He goes on to say, “We find their swearing really takes off between (ages) three and four. By the time kids go to school now, they’re saying all the words that we try to protect them from on television.”
Pretty sad.
Do you swear in front of your children?
Related Articles:
Do You Discipline Your Child in Public?
Teaching Your Toddler to Lose Gracefully
Do You Punish Your Kids For Swearing?
Do Your Kids Need a Manners Makeover?