While I love age 4 (and it is our easiest age yet), one of the hardest things for me to watch is the slow loss of innocence. It is hard to explain concepts like death, cruelty, stealing, and homelessness and make a 4 year old understand them. At the same time, I think they have brilliant ideas to stop things like hunger and homelessness.
A couple of weeks ago, Alex came home saying "damage." He would just randomly mutter "damage" and we mostly ignored it. Yesterday I told them our pool would be closed because of a swim meet and he said, "Damn!" Then we had a nice talk about curse words and mean words, why we don't say them, and what we can say instead.
Jon and I have closely watched our language around the boys (except that time I screamed the F-word in Nate's face) and the less I've used them, the more I've realized how little I need to use them. I think this is a big part of why the First Curse Word milestone was such a non-event. I didn't have to spend time explaining why it's okay for adults to say them but not kids. I simply explained what those words were and we moved on. However in all honesty, it was 100% cute hearing little Alex mutter "damage" like he knew what it meant.
PS. I'm flying out to Chicago tonight and I'm already missing the boys. Damage.
5 comments:
Not only did you never get peed on by one of your baby boys, you have also managed to delay the first curse word until age 4? I'd complain about how lucky you are if it wasn't for that whole raising twin boy thing.
Great post. I long ago gave up cursing and will only do it now in front of people I feel know me well enough not to judge the occasional curse word from a Christian. =) So far nothing from the peanut gallery around here.
I have major potty mouth and I wish I didn't. My latest favorite expression is, "Son of a!" I leave out the cursing part, but then I heard William say, "Son of a!" And I cringed. I also laughed, but I mostly cringed. I do say "dammit" quite a bit, and William always admonishes me not to say that word. So he knows it's not okay to curse. I just wish I didn't enjoy it so much!
We haven't had a curse word yet, but I have girls.
My "curse" word around them is "seriously!" And Lily will say that for me if someone cuts us off in traffic.
I had a teacher once say that we should feel sorry for people who curse because it showed a lack of vocabulary to articulate how they really feel. I can't say it stopped me from cursing, but I have never forgotten it and it has caused quite a bit of reflection.
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