As a parent, discovering your child swearing can be shocking. Yet, most adults let slip a curse now and then—think hammering your thumb, a midnight diaper disaster, or forgetting your wallet at checkout. Moments like these beg for a quick 'f*ck,' 'GVD,' or 'sh*t.' So, what do you do when your child echoes those words?
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Before kids, few adults think twice about swearing. But parenthood shifts priorities: we aim to model better behavior. With my first child, I swapped 'sh*t' for 'PIT' during labor—it worked wonders, channeling frustration effectively. Give it a try; the intensity rivals any curse.
Even with your best efforts, kids pick up words elsewhere. Do you explode in anger, suggest soap-in-mouth punishment (as my old kindergarten teacher did), ignore it, or talk it out?
About a year ago, our 9-year-old son started using 'GVD.' The culprit? Enzo Knol's videos. We responded firmly: 'If that's the takeaway, no more watching.' He complied, and the word vanished from our home.
With our oldest, we naively thought we'd solved it. But he pivoted to other YouTubers—no better in language. Smartly, he kept it outside. Last weekend, during bath time screen allowance, he requested Jeremy Frieser's Always Compilations. I overheard the barrage—multiple swears per sentence—and blushed.
My mind raced: What now? Recalling our company's motto—Successful educators aren't mistake-free parents, but those who learn from errors—I paused, preserving his relaxation while planning a calm discussion.
Later, in the car, I casually asked, 'What do you think of Jeremy's language? Be honest—I'm curious.' He admitted it was excessive. My husband added, 'We know it's not ideal, but it feels good sometimes.' This opened up talk of favorite curses, lame ones, friends' habits, and 'coolness.'
Result? Minimal indoor swearing. We've all been kids; even adults curse occasionally. And swearing offers real upsides:
The Dutch Association Against Cursing marked 100 years in 2017, yet usage rises—fueled by social media and YouTubers beyond Enzo and Jeremy. From trash collectors to surgeons (every 29 minutes), we all do it. Within bounds, is it truly problematic?
Words like 'sh*t' are nearly mainstream. Post-conversation, our son enjoys his videos; we occasionally join, relaxed and informed.
