7 Words You Can't Say at My House

Guest blogger Pam asks: With the passing of George Carlin, comedian and analyzer of profanity, which words make you cringe when they come out of the sweet mouth of your own child?

What is swearing, or cursing or what ever you want to call it? Well, it used to be, in my day, the list encompassed anything not allowed on radio or TV, plus whatever your parents added to the list. George Carlin, who passed away yesterday, gained fame for a routine about the seven dirty words that could never be uttered on television. Now that I'm a parent, I find that my list is much longer than what is deemed acceptable on TV and radio. And, big surprise, it is also different from other parents. It appears that we all have our little peccadillos.
My husband hates the word "sucks." I hate "wiener," especially when used to describe the male anatomy. My dear friend prefers her children don't say "fool" (maybe she watched too much A Team). I also find that I don't even want my kids to say the words I substitute for swear words, like "friggin." I have a visceral reaction to anything curse-like coming from their adorable mouths.
I monitor the music my children listen to, and I do my best to set a good example. Yet, even an angry toddler instinctively tries to conjure up naughty words from her limited language bank. When my now 4-year-old was a toddler, she made up her own swears to hurl at her two older siblings, including "boca" and "peeco." So, what do we do? How the heck should I know? But in my house, you had better be careful when you come over for a hot dog roast.
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My 2 year old says Shrek and it sounds more like sh*t, so now my husband and I substitute similar sounding words for cuss words so that even we’re not cussing, lol. Not a lifelong fix, but maybe it will help us quit for the most part as well. Rip, Shrek, or Bust has gotten to be a popular saying in our house.
I don’t like the word “Hate”….especially when my kids are fighting and say “I hate you” to each other. It makes me so sad to hear them say that. I always make them apologize and let the other know they didn’t really mean it.
“No” kills me, especially when shrieked at the top of their lungs. We have made a great effort for them to say “No thank you.” That may sound silly, but it is so much nicer to hear coming out of their mouths, and when they shriek it at the top of their lungs, it is hilarious, and my husband and I get a good chuckle.
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I think I cringe more when kids use words like “stupid” than curse words.