Kids and Swearing

Let’s admit it, the first time your child swore you either: a) Laughed; b) Pointed at your spouse and said “A chip of the old block”; or c) Flipped out and begged your child never to say that again.

What should you have done?

None of the above, according to Brian Murphy, LICSW.

“The best reaction is very little reaction,” says Murphy, who treats many children in his practice and hears a lot of swearing. “The best thing a parent can do it to clearly and simply describe the rules of language in your home, explain the meaning of the word and why you don’t like it used, and offer a substitute for the word.”

But they’re just so darn cute that first time they cuss, aren’t they? Murphy maintains that a clear “Dagnabit” or “Oh, sugar!” might be just as cute, and come off as a bit more innocent.

How, parents sometimes wonder, does swearing come in to a child’s life? According to speech therapist Sherri Miller, M.Ed., the main source is, of course, ourselves.

Preschool is often the place children first pick up some of their more colorful phrases, but according to preschool teacher Karen LaLinde, that isn’t bceause they’re meeting the wrong type of kids in preschool.