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Like being able to answer the questions of where you were when Kennedy was shot or when 9/11 happened, or how old you were when you started smoking or had sex the first time. I was about six when I began my high-brow education of cussing. My best friend at the time (who had the unfortunate nickname that most people reserve for their pets) had cable. Specifically, Showtime. Yeah, baby! By the time I was in fourth grade, I had learned enough to earn an hour after school with the teacher. Apparently, imitating Bette Midler from The Rose was not appropriate behavior! I didn't know any sailors, wasn't related to any, but I sure could talk like them! Fast forward several years, when I began working in law enforcement. I learned new and inventive ways of cussing there!
So now we come to that grand moment in parenthood when we hear our children say something "colorful." As parents, we can only blame ourselves. We try not to cuss in front of our son, but that doesn't stop us from letting him watch shows on the Discovery Channel that unfortunately includes some language education along with the science and adventure. He hasn't actually crossed the line yet, but he's oh-so-close. In the car one day, something surprised him enough to make him blurt, "What the freaky heck?!" I almost wrecked the car from laughing so hard!
And despite our best efforts not to curse in front of the kids, even when you mutter them under your breath, they can still hear you. This is why some people turn red in the face when they are angry: they are trying very hard not to cuss in front of the kids. Of course, children look at you with almost telepathic understanding when you reach that point, and just blurt the words out later so you don't explode from the build up of pressure.
It should really be no surprise to anyone how red my face got when my son called me upstairs on bath night. He had that look on his face. You know the one I mean. The gleeful look that usually results in either a very expensive repair bill or some extraordinary cleanup job. I entered the bathroom to hear water running in the tub, which was not empty...
"No, you may NOT take a bath with the guinea pig!!"
The rodent lived. So did my son, barely. My red face was a combination of trying not to cuss, and to keep the laughter in!
He's with a cousin this week. I wonder what bad words he will learn from him?
So now we come to that grand moment in parenthood when we hear our children say something "colorful." As parents, we can only blame ourselves. We try not to cuss in front of our son, but that doesn't stop us from letting him watch shows on the Discovery Channel that unfortunately includes some language education along with the science and adventure. He hasn't actually crossed the line yet, but he's oh-so-close. In the car one day, something surprised him enough to make him blurt, "What the freaky heck?!" I almost wrecked the car from laughing so hard!
And despite our best efforts not to curse in front of the kids, even when you mutter them under your breath, they can still hear you. This is why some people turn red in the face when they are angry: they are trying very hard not to cuss in front of the kids. Of course, children look at you with almost telepathic understanding when you reach that point, and just blurt the words out later so you don't explode from the build up of pressure.
It should really be no surprise to anyone how red my face got when my son called me upstairs on bath night. He had that look on his face. You know the one I mean. The gleeful look that usually results in either a very expensive repair bill or some extraordinary cleanup job. I entered the bathroom to hear water running in the tub, which was not empty...
"No, you may NOT take a bath with the guinea pig!!"
The rodent lived. So did my son, barely. My red face was a combination of trying not to cuss, and to keep the laughter in!
He's with a cousin this week. I wonder what bad words he will learn from him?
- Location:Home
- Mood:
amused
