“Oh ****!” – How to Handle Your Kids and Swearing

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Oh c**p! Your child’s just uttered their very first expletive! What the b***** h*** do you do? Well, first things first: calm down, read this, then play a round of relaxing online bingo with no deposit…

I’m not being flippant – it really is a good idea to calm down and take a step back before tackling obscenities head on. Children love naughty words and they spread around the playground like wildfire. In fact, kids are pretty much swear word magnets. The problem is, they don’t know what they mean and they don’t understand the implications of what they are saying. So how do you approach the situation when your little one drops the f-bomb? Here are 4 strategies that could help…

1. Absolutely do not laugh

If your child lets loose with an unexpected burst of potty mouthitis, do not under any circumstances laugh. Yes, a five year old calling their baby brother something utterly awful in (relative) innocence can be pretty funny, but a postivie response like laughter can encourage the behaviour at home, in the classroom and in public. If you don’t want your little darling to latch on to swearing, make sure you don’t reward the behaviour by letting it tickle your funny bone.

2. Explain without anger

Instead of laughing, take the time to explain to your child exactly how serious swearing can be and why many people don’t like it. It can be difficult for kids to understand why a “funny word” they’ve heard in the playground can cause offence. In these cases it can be helpful to find a way to help your child relate to the problem. Ask them to think of a time when someone said something they didn’t like or called them a name that hurt their feelings.

Then explain that the word they’ve used is just like this but can get them in a lot of trouble too. If this is a first offence, don’t be too quick to anger. Children are sponges when it comes to new words and they’re likely to simply parrot words they’ve heard without understanding the consequences. Too strong a reaction could turn swearing into a button children are more likely to push in order to upset you.

3. Uncover the source

If you’ve made a big effort not to swear around your child, ask a few questions to find out where the bad language is coming from. In all likelihood it’s come from a friend of schoolmate of your child. In this case it could be a good idea to talk to your child’s teacher so that they can address bad language in the classroom. In other cases, it may be coming from another adult in your child’s life. In this situation, it may be worthwhile to sensitively ask the adult concerned to reign in their bad language around your young ‘uns.

4. Mind your language

Sometimes, the bad language comes from home; a stubbed toe, an arguement with your other half, a particularly unfair penalty during the footy. If you don’t want your kids to use bad language, keep it in check at home. If you do drop a clanger (and, well, who doesn’t?), don’t overreact and act horrified. Equally don’t do things like spell out swear words to get them across to other adults without your children picking them up – this only adds to the magic and intriegue of “naughty words”.

Have your little ones ever unleashed a stream of profanity? How do you handle swearing at home? Are you OK with the odd curse word or do you want to keep your little ones’ language clean? Share your views and tips with our readers below or tweet @TwoLittleFleas