Do You Think It Is OK To Swear In Front Of Kids [POLL]
Curse words have become more commonplace in our world. I hear kids in elementary schools saying words that I didn't learn until I was much older. Most of the time it doesn't even seem like they care who hears. Where do they learn the words and why do they feel it appropriate to use (or not understand when it is appropriate to use them) foul language? A study by ChannelMum found that more than 50 percent of parents feel it is OK the curse in front of their children, so maybe it starts there.
One-fifth of the parents feel that swearing is harmless and 15 percent feel their kids are going to hear the bad words at school anyway so they don't need to have a clean vocabulary at home. I know there will be many people who feel differently than I do (which according to the study, that's about 52 percent of you) but isn't teaching your kid right and wrong despite what others are doing your job as a parent?
I know my kids are hearing bad words at school every day. They come home and tell me that they heard someone use foul language and we have a talk about why we don't swear and what we can do to keep our language clean. My oldest son came up with a funny way to combat the urge to say inappropriate words - he has decided that when he feels angry or hurts himself he'll say some sort of chemical compound. Yeah, he's too smart for me. If he stubs his toe or hits his finger with a hammer he'll say something like 'Sulfur Hexafluoride' or 'tetrazine'. It works too because it is so silly to hear those words that we often end up laughing and forgetting the pain or anger. Does it work every time? No, but we are trying.
One of my favorite commercials also gets quoted pretty often in my house and I've often said 'What the French toast?' when I'm frustrated.
How do you feel about swearing in front of kids - is it OK or inappropriate?