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Why Should You Care If Your Daughter Swears?
I stand by the window, waiting for the familiar sight of the big yellow school bus making its turn at the end of the street. It’s almost time for my daughter, Mia, to come home.
When Mia, my 9-year-old, finally hops off the bus, she tosses her backpack at me. It might seem a bit rude to an outsider, but it’s part of our playful routine. I always try to catch it before it knocks me over. There are some serious books in there, along with her trusty violin, and we make our way back home.
“I know five bad words,” she announces proudly.
“Awesome,” I reply, trying to mask my concern. I know many bad words myself, and the thought of my little girl saying any of them makes my stomach churn. “What are they?”
“I’d never say them,” she reassures me.
“Okay, that’s good,” I say, relieved. “But how did you learn them?”
“The bus,” she says casually. “And school, but mostly the bus.”
She then shares the first letters of her ‘bad words’: S, F, D, B, and H. S and F are obvious, but I didn’t realize that words like damn, bitch, and hell were still on the radar. As adults, we sometimes become desensitized. After years in the corporate world, I can honestly say that swearing hardly phases me.
It’s interesting to think about how the impact of swear words has changed over time. For instance, in the classic film Gone With the Wind, Clark Gable’s iconic line almost got cut due to the word “damn.” Back in the day, that was a big deal. Fast forward to 1972, when George Carlin made headlines with his famous “Seven Dirty Words” routine. Today, it seems like we hear those words everywhere, from casual conversations to TV shows like Girls. They just don’t hold the same weight anymore.
I recall first hearing those words on the playground. I didn’t understand them, but they seemed cool and fun to say. I wonder if Mia is facing the same peer pressure I did. Reflecting on my own past, I realize that kids can be pretty terrible. We’d call each other names without thinking twice about it, and I even made someone cry once. If anyone did that to Mia, I’d be furious.
A few weeks later, Mia and I are cozied up on the couch watching Full House. I owe an apology to anyone I teased for enjoying that show—it’s actually pretty wholesome. In one episode, D.J. and her friend Kimmy get into a spat, leading to Kimmy calling D.J. a “geek-burger.” I chuckle and pause the screen.
“Hey Mia, do you think I’m a geek-burger?”
She nods, eyes glued to the show. I laugh, then get serious for a moment. “You know, I’m happy you don’t use bad words, but what matters more is that you don’t say hurtful things.”
“What do you mean?” she asks, looking curious.
“Some words are considered bad just because they’re frowned upon, but the truly bad words are the ones that hurt people’s feelings,” I explain.
She nods, and I think she’s starting to get it.
In the end, it’s really about teaching our kids the difference between swearing and saying something mean. It’s a lesson worth sharing, especially in today’s world.
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Summary
This article explores why it’s important to care about the language our kids use, emphasizing the difference between swearing and hurtful words. It reflects on personal experiences and societal changes regarding language and offers advice on guiding children in their understanding of words.