My parents were fairly conservative except when I would really hack them off. Then it was a different story (see this post). My mother was fairly naive about cuss words and slang in general. So you were never quite sure when she would use a word that she didn’t quite understand. My case in point…
Roll mental camera…
I was in 8th grade and my mother taught at the same school I attended. One day I ran by her class between classes to borrow a few bucks. As I started to leave my mom kept talking and I kept walking. I wasn’t really paying attention until I was about 10 feet down the crowded hall and I heard my mother yell,
“Roger, you queer bait, get back here and talk to me.”
She had no idea what the term queer bait meant. Needless to say I took some ridicule over that for a while. I actually had to explain it to her that day after school. She didn’t mean to use a derogatory word, she just thought it meant goof ball or something.
My point is I can’t say I am naive to my kids. I know better. But even when I don’t cuss in front of them I find myself replacing it with a word like “Freaking”. Connor repeated it the other night after I said it and asked me what I meant by it.
Regardless of how harmless the actual word is the way we say it can make it a cuss word just the same. I need to work on that.
Do you have any “replacement” cuss words that you use that don’t sound any less vulgar coming out of your kid’s mouth?
Aren’t we still just as guilty replacing the cuss word but using its replacement in the same way?
Did your parents ever embarrass you with something they said?
8 comments:
Freaking is good but how about frak, frik, friggel, heck, dang, diggity doo, and my new favorite crap!
That made me laugh out loud. I bet you were horrified.
You are right, words take on a whole new concern when you hear them coming out of your kids' mouths. I have a hard time knowing what to let slide.
My parents used to say things that embarrassed me all the time....heck, they still do!!!! I just don't sem to get to embarrassed about much anymore though:)
far fic nuggin, Not sure I consider it just as bad when using a replacement word, if that was the case, I would not ACTIVELY try to watch what I say and would just use the cuss word if ya catch what I am putting down??? I think once you begin to actively change the cuss word, your mind frame will eventually change enough to where you don't think about it as a substitution...so stop cussing quier bait:) just kidding
I don't like it when my kids say freakin' or crap. I try not to say them, but I'm sure I do.
My mom cusses like a sailor and unfortunately I picked it up. I have actually the last few years been able to weed most of it out. I do have a tendancy when I get hurt to say the D word before I can stop myself.
As far as my kids...Ryan is into the freaking thing. He picked it up this year in high school. I have been talking to Hope about the whole Oh My Gosh thing. It is on the verge of taking the Lord's name in vain. Isn't it??? It is confusing to me.
My parents didn't cuss, but my step father was a bigot so yeah - lots of embarrassing stuff. I say shite sometimes, but you're absolutely right. Like my son says, "I know what you WANTED to say." Not such a great example to set, huh? I guess I'll have to just start making faces instead.
My really bad word is sheeite muslim. That is when something really bad happened.
I used to cuss like a sailor so I find it God's grace that the f-word only comes out when I'm upset (I'm working on this) and not after every other word.
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