F#@$!!!!!

I came across this article this morning and thought it was interesting, so I had to share.

5 Reasons It's Okay to Swear in Front of Your Kids

Teaching your kids not to curse is just one of those things good parents are expected to do. Like teaching them not to punch other kids on the playground or steal a pack of gum from the store or lie about whether or not they did their homework. Naturally, teaching your kids not to curse includes not cursing in front of your kids. What with the example-setting and all. Except, here's the thing: Punching and stealing and lying are behaviors we consider "wrong" for valid reasons, most of them involving someone getting hurt on some level or another (sometimes, themselves). Why is swearing "wrong," exactly? Because it's "not nice," some would say. Or "because I said so" or "because some people might get offended." None of these reasons carry any real weight, in my opinion, and I personally refuse to waste time and effort instilling values in my kids that I don't even believe in.
So yes, I swear in front of my kids. And here are the reasons why.

1. Studies show that swearing in the workplace "helps enhance group solidarity and serves as a mechanism for stress relief." Why shouldn't the same logic apply to swearing at home?

2. Another recent study found that "saying the F word or any other commonly used expletive can work to reduce physical pain." Hey, maybe you can finally stop buying ibuprofen in bulk!
3. It's been suggested (and debated endlessly) that people who swear are more honest and trustworthy.

4. Self-expression should always be encouraged, in all forms. Or, as George Carlin put it: "Why should I deprive myself of a small but important part of language that my fellow humans have developed? Why not use all of what we’ve developed to communicate with?"

5. Swearing around your kids actually helps to demonstrate rules of etiquette dictated by society, as in which behaviors are appropriate under which circumstances: "You can say these words at home, but if you say them at school, you'll get in big trouble and it won't be fun."

Oh, and here's an interesting little factoid you might be surprised to learn: My kids don't swear. Like, maybe once in a very blue moon, my son will curse at an ill-fitting Lego piece but that's about it. Weird, huh?

Do you swear in front of your kids?

Yes, we have. But we are trying really, really hard to change that and since Brielle has been talking, we've worked even harder to try not to swear in front of her. Both Rhonda & I are on the same page with the whole swearing thing. We don't agree to the article above. We know it happens (yes, kids are going to hear it) and we know we can't shelter Brielle from it, but we do believe that it's our job as parents to try to sensor ourselves around her. In fact, we hope that all of the people we spend a lot of time with will do the same.

In my opinion, swearing isn't necessary and we all have the ability to sensor ourselves. I choose not to swear in front of my grandma, in church, around certain people and when I worked, I didn't swear at work. So, I can very well sensor myself around my daughter. We, being the general population, become very comfortable with swearing in our own home and that's where it becomes the hardest place to sensor ourselves. But to me, it's important. Yes, Brielle has the ability to learn that swearing is off limits for her. Yes, we are adults and swearing is going to happen. But, if we have the ability to tame our potty mouth to avoid having our daughter cussing like a sailor by the time she's a year and a half old, then why wouldn't we? Hearing your child say "sh*t" for the first time is probably pretty cute but hearing your child holler "f*&% you" in the crowded doctors office is probably pretty embarrassing. I know for me personally, I don't even enjoy the extreme potty mouth that comes from a lot of adults. It's not nice to be sitting in a restaurant, trying to enjoy a nice meal and conversation while overhearing the loud-mouth at the other table throwing off the f-bomb with every second word. I don't like to hear it and I for sure don't like for my daughter to hear it.

So we will continue to work on curbing our swearing. I'd rather hear Brielle say "I love you mommy" instead of "you a$$hole!"