Yesterday I was at a Weight Watchers meeting (yes, we’re back on that wagon again…fodder for another post, though) and just before things got started I overheard some other members having a chat. It was just a group of typical people you’d meet anywhere: a group of 4 or 5 women in their early- to mid-forties, talking about work and their kids and whatnot. The thing that struck me was that one of them was just swearing up a blue streak. I mean, honestly, she was tossing the f-word around (I absolutely deplore the expression “dropping the F-bomb” so I refuse to use it) as if it were nothing. She was telling a story about her son and his buddies and how she told them to “shut the F**K up!” and how they were “just like a bunch of F**King girls” and F**K this and F**K that and, after all, WHAT THE F**K.
Curses!
Now. It’s not like I don’t swear or I’ve never sworn or that I never utter the F-word myself. I do. Judiciously placed and seldom used, I feel it is a clever piece of the vernacular and can serve very well. The odd time when I do use it, it’s usually just implied, though. I’ll say the rest of the sentence at normal volume, then I’ll get to the “F” and speak the rest sotto voce. Perhaps that’s because I have little kids with very big ears, and I don’t want them to overhear me using swear words. I know it’s not because I think “ladies” don’t use those words. We do. And we can. And we should.
It’s just, I dunno. In public, in front of a lot of people you don’t know, sprinkling fuck around like that just doesn’t give the best impression, in my humble opinion.
Frighteningly enough, I find myself influenced by having my kids around so much. I have a whole host of new words I say when things aren’t going exactly to plan. And like my grandmother, who used to say “sugar”, “for the love of Pete” and “well for Pete’s sake” (who Pete was, I’ll never know) a lot, I just really don’t swear much at all. You’re far more likely to hear me say, “barnacles”, “curses” or “aw, snap” than swearing, and when all else fails, a generic “argh” is always appropriate.
What about you? Were you never a swearer or have you ditched your potty-mouth in favour of more kid-appropriate phrases? Or do you still just let it rip when you feel the urge, kids or general public or no?
Don’t hurt yourself, Christine. It really makes no sense.
I did laugh just a little bit at the “shit spots” but boy, that must’ve stung.
Guilty.
I do swear and I have sworn in front of my kids. I do not do it on a regular basis, but it has happened.
When mommy says a bad word – we know she’s REALLY mad.
My first introduction to swearing was my sister (7yrs older) telling me my freckles were actually shit spots 🙁
Jen – still trying to figure out the crapsicle stick…
Sadly, I taught my kids to swear at an early age. I grew up in a very repressed household where “darn” and “geez” were considered swear words. So naturally, when I had my own family, I was determined not to be that way. Being able to express ourselves through the use of language is one of the most important ways of developing ourselves as individuals, and it’s a value that I want to pass on to my kids.
But I made the mistake of only swearing at home and not in public. Of course, the kids grew older and picked up on my language and now they use it, although very mildly. I’ve never heard them say the F-word (although I say it), and I try to be especially conscious of using that one around them. Now that they’re reaching teenagerhood, I wish I’d shown a little more restraint when they were young :p Though they do a pretty good job of knowing when swearing is appropriate and when it’s not (like around my parents!).
By the way “for Pete’s sake” refers to St. Peter. It was originally used as a milder, “safer” form of “for God’s sake” or “for Christ’s sake”.
I have taken Sponge Bob’s “barnacles” and made it “DARNacles”! I definitely swear less than I used to pre-kids but find it harder now having a tween boy and his friends in the house. They push the limits on this A LOT. My latest? Not that I am proud of it but it serves its purpose: “crap on a crapsicle stick”. Don’t ask.