CURSING IN FRONT OF THE KIDS
I hate to admit it, but I'm guilty of it. Make no mistake though, we put a valiant effort into not cursing in front of the little ones, but shit happens. I really do find cursing in front of kids to be really bad especially when your child starts talking. I remember there was a time a while back where I was taking Arianna to school and I spilled some coffee on myself and of course I said "oh shit!" I heard those same two words echo in the back seat, as I turned around I see Arianna give me a very mischievous smile. Yes, my daughter said "Oh Shit" for the first time. Even though it made me smile a bit, I knew this was not good. Knowing my daughter and her personality, if I told her to not say that again and told her that it was bad, I know she would do it again on purpose because she would get a reaction out of me. I completely ignored it. I did not take the bait because I knew if I did, she would try it with her teachers and the general public to see if everyone would react to it. I can't imagine the thought of her teacher telling me that "Arianna used a bad word today." Im pretty sure I would drop dead right there from complete embarrassment.
It's not only using those words in inappropriate places I'm worried about, it's the fact that using curse words in front of them let's my kids know that it's ok to communicate with each other like that when it's not right whatsoever. Having them grow up using words like that in front of others will negatively impact them but also us as parents. I usually could care less what people think of me, but I still would not want to be known the parents of the child who said "BITCH" in class at the PTA meeting.
It really does not just end with just watching our language, we as the parents, are the biggest influence in our children lives. So it is so important to lead by example when raising kids; if your kid sees you doing it, they assume that it's ok to do it. I would rather them see me doing something great rather than the opposite. I mean, clearly I am not always successful in that but I have to try my best. My father would use major curse words in the house, but I cannot give the man all the credit for my filthy mouth; T.V., music and environmental factors all played a huge role in the garbage disposal that is my mouth, but I am aware that it is wrong. I do put in a lot of effort in the home not to speak that way, my kids are sponges and they absorb everything. We dads are such an important figure in our kids eyes, we got to do better in everything we do and remind ourselves that our children are ALWAYS watching and listening.
Do you curse in front of your children? How seriously do you take cursing in front of your children?