why are parents who swear at their kids suprised when they hear them swearing.

pollypenny

I don't like swearing anyway - unless kept for dire occasions its effect is lost.

Always wondered why Jo Frost, Supernanny, didn't ever challenge the parents when there was a problem with a swearing child.

Person_one

I don't think a bit of swearing in front of children is actually all that terrible. I used to love it when my parents slipped up and let slip an 'oh b0ll0cks' when they dropped a pan full of food or a '$h!t!' when they stubbed their toe.

Its aggressive swearing aimed AT the children that really bothers me. I've seen babies in prams called 'fu***ng b1tch' and told to 'shut the f**k up you little s**t' and I find that very upsetting and quite scary.


Edit: The filter makes it really frustrating to have a discussion on this subject!

busiscoming2

I only swear when I am really angry, but my DH swears a lot and always has done (have spent many years trying to stop him). The children knew it wasn't liked by me and I taught them that daddy was wrong to swear and not to do. I actually don't remember them ever swearing when they were growing up and only do so now (when I'm around) if it is in anger or pain.

kafkathecat

When my son was about 6 another boy told him some very rude words. I told him that I didn't care what he said around me because words are just words but that some of his friends' parents would be really upset and he shouldn't use those words around them. To this day (he is 14) it has not been a problem. He knows the words and how to use them and when not to. And he is more likely to tell me off for swearing than swear in front of me. They are just words and they only have the meaning we give them.

*Louise*

I'm 33 and still won't swear in front of my mum!

I remember when DS1 was about 6, I dropped something and swore, and he piped up with 'ohhhh that's a bad word mum, better watch I don't copy you!' He is 12 now and I have never heard him swear...yet....

DD is 4 and she handed me a book one day and said 'I can't read that bit mum' - there was a sentence where a mum said 'Shut up Lily' to her child - DD thought it was a swear bless her, I explained it was rude rather than sweary :rotfl:

I was gobsmacked on the bus one day when I overheard a young couple actually teaching their 2 year old to swear.....one example was the mother saying 'call Daddy a b*st*rd...clever boy'....omg.:eek:

kelfen

I won't swear in front of children, I don't think they should have to hear that sort of language so young.

It was a shock the first time I heard my mum swear though.....and I was an adult too!

Strapped

I love these holier than thou threads :rotfl:

jellyhead

delain wrote: »

They hear it at school anyway sadly however careful you are at home!

Not much though, depending on where you live. My 6 year old hasn't heard any yet, but then again he is not very observant and he rarely listens.

My teenager started to swear when he was with his friends at around age 14, but he knows not to do it at home or school. He laughs at the Jeremy Kyle guests who can't make themselves understood because they replace vocabulary with swearing ... they sound so thick!

Strapped I'm not holier than thou - I just don't see any reason to teach swear words to babies. It makes the first few years of school very difficult for them when they are punished for using language that they think is normal, and they struggle to write because they don't know many proper words. These children are ostracised because the teachers tells them off so the other kids avoid them, and the other parents don't want to invite the chavvy kid with the foul mouth to their children's parties.

It's just not fair ... why would anyone choose to give their child such a disadvantage? And before you call me a snob I do actually live on a council estate. We're not snobs.

freyasmum

Parents who swear at children should be shot.

cherylim

I grew up in a household where screaming and swearing was the norm. However, I didn't pick up on it myself until I was in secondary school - I remember the specific moment I first swore, and my friend at the time commenting she could tell I'd never sworn before because I stammered a little! Despite a very bad childhood and total lack of respect for the people I lived with, I only (accidentally) swore once directly at my mum. Of course, she heard, but nothing was said. My siblings, particularly my sister, have been swearing for years with it being a normal part of their language, whilst I only swear when very upset/stressed/scared and hate hearing bad language from other people.

One of my most distinct childhood memories, however, comes from when I was approximately eight years old. My mum and I were in Aldi, and there were a group of teenage boys swearing in their conversation. My mum stormed over to them and told them off for swearing in a public place, arguing that 'there's a child here', and pointing to me. Not only was I absolutely mortified, I was also incredibly confused because she and her husband were almost always swearing at me or in general.

Now, I'm thinking forward to my own family. I'm going to be more relaxed about swearing in the home, I think. I don't want myself or my fiance swearing in front of our children once we eventually have them, and I've made this very clear and my fiance agrees (it came up after I noticed that a friend swore a lot to/in front of his baby). That said, I accept they'll pick it up elsewhere and we've already discussed that we won't criticise our future children for swearing in the home, as long as it's not AT anyone or in front of anyone other than us. The plan is to teach appropriate use of language, and respect for other people. I would hate to realise I'd said something I shouldn't in front of someone else's child.