Uh-oh, you thought that this day will never come, yet, you have just heard your little angel swearing. Some parents think it’s funny, some find it cute but some start worrying that this habit will stick.
If you are in group three like me, then this article is for you. If you wish to help your child nurture their language with the maximum culture, you can start taking measures right now.
Although the danger of picking up bad words can never be completely eliminated, there are still some steps you can take to at least minimize this danger. Here are some of those steps.
Cut the source.
After you deal with the initial disbelief as your child said a disgusting phrase, you will probably wonder where does it come from, where have they even learned those words.
Do a quick questioning to find it out. Knowing the root of the problem is always the first step towards solving it. When you get to know where your child has learned the cussing, try to protect them from that source.
Use parental control.
Perhaps your child has heard those nasty words somewhere online or on TV. Make sure to use the maximum of protection mechanisms modern technology offers – with parental control being on top of the list.
You don’t want your child to bump into an R-rated movie where they can hear and see things that could be even worse than swearing.
Lead by example.
Do you ever course in front of your children? It can happen, even when we are trying to behave the best we can. A little nasty word escapes from our mouth even without us noticing that we have said something bad.
Try being even more careful and avoid swearing in front of your children, even when you reach your boiling point. Children love imitating us and there are many better things to pick up from you than angry swear words.
Use replacement words.
The chances are that even though your child has said a swear word, they do not fully understand the meaning of that phrase.
This aspect completely works in your favor – this means that you can easily persuade your child that they are pronouncing the word wrong and tell them to use some nicer word instead (one that sounds similar to the curse word).
If your child is aware of the meaning of the bad words they are using, you can still come up with some creative replacement words and ask your children kindly to adopt those words instead.
Insist on reading habits.
While this may not seem directly linked, reading can contribute a lot to preventing children from using bad words.
By developing steady reading habits, children enrich their vocabulary and learn how to express themselves better.
They pay more attention to the culture of speaking and tend to refrain from curse words. Consider giving your child a book instead of a toy whenever you find it possible.
Sometimes ignoring can be efficient as well.
According to experts, children sometimes use bad words to get our attention.
If you estimate that this is the case with your child, perhaps you can stay completely calm and pretend that you haven’t heard anything. Once your child sees that using profanity doesn’t produce any effect, they will probably give up swearing quickly.
Talking about feelings is welcome as well.
The cause of swearing can be the same in children as in adults as well – simply being overwhelmed with feelings such as anger or frustration.
In those cases, rather than deepening your child’s frustration by adding up your own anger, try to be supportive.
Encourage your child to talk things through and express what’s bothering them through a different phrasing. It’s much more constructive than swearing!
Use the swear jar.
Make it a house rule that everyone who swears in your house has to insert a coin in the swear jar. Your child will think twice about swearing if they know that they need to give up a part of their allowance.
The rule should be in power both for children and adults in your house, and perhaps you can include the guests in it as well. Make your house completely swear-free!
And the most important thing to remember is not to make a huge deal out of it. Swearing doesn’t have to mean that your child will turn anyhow bad.
Have you had any experience regarding this problem? Give us your thoughts in the comments space!
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