I’ll admit it – I’m probably a bad mom. If swearing in front of your children is bad, then I might be one of the worst. I did very well for a while, using “gosh” or “darn” or “shoot.” Then out of nowhere, when my oldest was three, all the swear words came flying back out of me with a vengeance.
I had repressed them for far too long. I had missed swearing, honestly. It’s a stress reliever for me. I wanted to do the “right” thing and give them up. But, I couldn’t do it! It sometimes makes me feel guilty that I swear and I’m not quite sure why.
I suppose my question is, why are swear words so bad? (Besides the fact that our parents told us not to use them). Are they hurtful? Do they inflict emotional or physical pain upon others? Are they innately hateful? I don’t think so.
They are crass and unnecessary. Maybe some consider them to be in poor taste. I know that they are not a good display of my intelligence. They come from my more base and animalistic side. Oh, and then there’s that whole thing about not being ladylike (insert long eye-roll here). All of this aside, I can’t help but feel that people are misguided in their thinking that these words are the bad ones.
In my house, the “stinky words” are stupid, mean, ugly, fat, etc. My kids know not to say these words and they know we will have a long discussion if they slip up. These are words that truly do harm. They tear down others and ourselves. They are used as weapons.
I do not tolerate slurs of any sort or racist jokes or sexism, either. I won’t tolerate homophobia or transphobia. But a correctly used swear word when they spill their food over a freshly cleaned floor? I say, (insert swear word of choice here). There are far more harmful things to say.
