Strollerderby

I know it's bad, but I find it hilarious when small children swear - kids under the age of, say, eight.  After that they know exactly what they're doing and it gets irritating.  But one of my funniest childhood memories was my friend Heather's baby sister (age three?) yelling after their runaway dog:  "Come back you little f*cker!"  Hah - in the middle of the neighborhood on a busy Saturday... could've heard a pin drop.

Cursing in context by a toddler, although potentially embarrassing, only goes to show how brilliantly smart your child is...The first time this happened to me, I smiled inside while I scolded outside.

When my oldest was about 3, we were stopped at a stoplight. When the light turned to green, apparently the car in front of us didn't move fast enough for her. Out of the backseat, in a little breathy baby voice, she yelled "Green means go A$$hole!" I just about peed my pants.

I let lose with my first swear words in a public place when I was about three, and my poor mother has never gotten over the mortification.  Personally, I don't think it's such a big deal.  Swear words are part of the English language my daughter will be speaking and part of the big bad world that she's living in.  Of course, I'd prefer she not to use them in front of her grandparents!

When my car wouldn't start last week I turned back to explain what was going on to my two-year-old daughter, but before I could say anything she said, totally deadpan, "Damn car." I should note, she was not repeating something I had said.  I was so proud! It made a stressful situation (we were at the grocery store in our pajamas) hilarious.

Kara, i love that one, that is too funny. And it also reminds me that i have to watch my mouth when i drive... I do occasionally let a phrases, very much like that one, slip.

Got a whole chunk in my stand up act about this. The tag on it is that there are a lot worse words in the world than the expletive used....like loser because it calls a person worthless.  I always say that the day my daughter knows the meaning and the correct use of the word (including why it is considered by society to be offensive) is the day that she can use it.  But she's 8 and context doesn't mean knowledge of the word. I doubt if she'll pass the test before she's actually saying it behind my back to sound cool to the other hormonally imbalanced kids.  Now it just means she understands where to use it because she's heard it applied as an adjective before in anger.