Kids and swearing.

My old neighbor used to teach cuss words to her 2 year old son. It was awful hearing that filth come out of his mouth, she thought it was funny! I do admit I have cussed a few times in traffic and when I fell down on tile floor in front of my son, but I've learned to stop that when I have a little sponge looking at me!

You are right, we are not perfect, but my goodness, you would think a parent would have some common sense then to cuss around their kids all the time. Kids pick up on everything and if parents cuss around their kids, I'm sure the child will cuss as well.

I think it is completely irresponsible for adults to swear/curse around children. I am always shocked and disgusted when I hear children swearing. You did the right thing but I hope he does not use it now as he has heard it and knows it is a "bad" word.

I gotta be honest I'm a big culprit when it comes to this. I grew up in a pretty rough area of Scotland where foul language was second nature (no excuse I know) and I just can't shake it. I told my kids pretty early on that I was this way but also said that just because I was ignorant didn't mean they had to be. To their credit, they listened and never use foul language and are always very quick to chastise me when I do.

That is terrible how those parents acted at their son's birthday party. And then to have the son act just like them well that is even worse. I would of done the same thing also. (by leaving the party) I think those people just don't care and their kids will probably get into trouble when the get older. No discipline now will bring future rebels.

That is horrible!! I am not perfect and I will admit that once in a while I do swear in front of my kids. I never swear if other children are here! I don't blame you for getting your child out of that atmosphere! Obviously you don't want your son hanging out with this boy or else the language will rup off on your child. Totally unacceptable behavior for parents to be talking like that at a kids party~ you see where the kid got it from!

Wow that's pretty crazy. It's amazing at what age kids are starting to swear. Pretty soon swearing will just be ignored and accepted as conversational language anywhere anytime.

Oh gosh! I could never imagine acting that way in front of my parents. They would have clobbered me. My dad did cuss but he never used that word and if I did say something inappropriate I got in big trouble for it. I don't blame you. I wouldn't let my child go back there again either.

yep. kids these days are out of control. but the things thats worse is that many of the parents dont care at all! Like you were saying i walk into peoples homes and the kids are swearing all over the place and the parents just sit there like nothing happened!!

oh at times i have a mouth of a sailor. but my children know that if they are ever heard swearing by me or another adult they will get it. i don't play that when it comes to children and if i hear children swearing i am tell them not to. i ride the bus in the morning to work and the high school girls are on there swearing like gown man, and i always tell them to please don't speak that way. it is one thing to do that in private but in public it is just not lady like. some times they just look at me like i am crazy, but they always stop swearing

I have found myself curbing my mouth around my daughter & trying to get my partner to do the same is hard but he's trying his best as well. The problem is, my Mother in Law & all my other in laws have SERIOUS potty mouths - it's ridiculous really & it's hard to avoid them! It's also hard to get them to curb their mouths around our daughter because they have just always spoken like that.

As a parent I know what you are feeling. Do we all wish to raise our kids the best we can, yes! but it's hard when some people don't share your values. In the eyes of the child , parents will be the first teacher and role model that they can look up to. If swearing is a common thing in the household, the child will definitely pick -up the habit and think it's an ok thing to do because my mom and dad does it all the time. Remember that children especially in hteir formative years are like sponges, they absorb things easily and quickly but they don't have the ability yet to discern whether it is good or bad. I am not also a perfect parent but I would like to be the best that I can be, I don't swear because I didn't grew up in a home where swearing is accepted so thesame thing I want my kids to grow up in a loving and caring environment. We cannot eradicate or avoid situations like this because we are all raised differently. To us parents the most we can do to shield our children from exposure to bad elements is to be personally active in their lives, not to meddle but to be of guidance for they wil have to learn so many things in life, to be the first teacher of good values is a gift that they will treasure and the generations in the future. You did the right thing and I commend you for it.

WOW! I bet some dial soap would do that little boy some good! Sheesh! We do occassionally say bad words but we do try to watch our mouths in front of the little ones. I can't imagine my child talking like that!

I really dont blame you for removing your child from that environment, I swear, but I dont do it around kids, kids are little parrots and if you do it in front of them you cant expect them not to repeat it, isnt it sad the way some people choose to bring up their children?!

OMG!! Thats just wrong!! And the parents should know better! I have so many friends that do the same thing and it just makes me soo angry! Now im not miss innocent..i have had many words slip from my mouth..and as soon as i do..i say BAD MOMMY!! and say sorry Skylar that was a bad word..now when i slip he reminds me..with that mouth open AWWWWWWW! MOMMMMMMM!!! U SWORE!! lol lol..and i thank him and say sorry..but not like that...thats bad..and if people do swear that bad..they shoul dknow not to do it around other people and there kids...how ignorant are people..really?? they are just disgusting.

I quit a job once, because I was beginning to swear at my kids. I do not, as a general rule swear, and it does not happen at my house. My kids are grown now, I am pretty certain my daughter does not swear, I imagine my son does, but not very much. I always told them they were much too intelligent for that, and they could express those feelings with more creative language. I was also one to give actual literal meanings of the words to my kids, and that made them think.

I am guilty of swearing in front of my kids now and then, but they are 10 and 14 and know that it is wrong. They would never repeat swear words. They might call me on it though. The slightest curse word that is part of everyday language now, a**, is one my kids will call me on. That and "shut up". We have neighbours, as well, who swear in front of and to their children. The father comes over here and chats with my husband and every other word is the "F" word. It makes me sick. Once my husband's cousin was over and he was telling a story and he let the "f" word slip. He stopped and said, "Sorry. Are there any kids around?" The kids were in school but I thanked him very much for caring. And this guy was single, never had children. No one EVER does that anymore, worries about what they say when kids are around. It's almost like they're invisible or something. I was totally embarrassed when I was at my neighbour's. The mother was there with her two kids and her husband's mother (her mother-in-law). I was shocked when the older child pushed the smaller child and the mother jumped up and swore at him. I looked at the mother-in-law stunned that she would do that. The mother-in-law, a very quiet woman, didn't even flinch. *shaking my head*

I respect and admire you for standing firm on this issue. You did the right thing, these parents who use profanity like that in the presence of thier own children and obviously other children as well, they have no respect for themselves or others. They will be the first to say, I don't know where my kid learned to talk like that. I would have done the same thing, only I may have told the parents the real reason my kid was not staying for the party. I would have said something like, thank you for inviting us, but we do not use language like that and do not appreciate our child being exposed to it. Kudos to you for this discussion A++++

Lifez2short, hey how are you doing? Well, that is definitely bad that the parents were cussing like that. Perhaps they have different values than you, that is why you should find out who he is hanging around. Actually, you may want them to hang out at your house, but not at his house since the parents are cussing so much. Perhaps you don't want them to be friends at all, I am not sure. Whatever you do, I definitely wouldn't let my kid go over there at all. That is pretty bad especially if you don't want your kid to cuss. I could understand if they were arguing cos we aren't perfect, but why are they saying f**k so much? :( Pablo

I try to watch what I say around my daughter. I may get frustrated at something and let some words slip here and there. But especially now that she is getting older and building a vocabulary I've been trying to be more careful what I say around her. I can't believe these parents were cussing like that and that their kid was cussing. That's definitely not a good influence for your son.