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Banana f---ing smoothie: Kids and swearing, take 2
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a blog saying that I wasn’t going to freak out anymore if my kids use an occasional swear word, as long as they were not using it to name call, i.e. hurt someone’s feelings. Many talkbackers criticized my judgment as a parent for this decision. Well, folks, this blog’s for you.
Perhaps this incident was my karmic payback for decriminalizing cussing in my household. Perhaps not. Either way, last week we went to Beans & Barley for dinner, and my 4-year-old, who has never dropped an F-bomb in his life, looked at the server and said in a very loud, clear voice that he wanted a “banana f---ing smoothie.”
I was shocked, mortified and a little amused all at the same time. After my husband apologized to the server, we told our son that he should not use that word in public because it could hurt some peoples' feelings. He seemed to understand.
Most parents have an example of this kind of thing. I'm sharing mine to say that, despite my philosophical thoughts on kids and swearing, it's still embarassing. But it's a little humorous, too.
That night, my husband said right before I drifted off to sleep, “Today will always go down for me as the day Brett Favre retired from football and Levi ordered a banana f---ing smoothie.”
Yup.
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Cheese_Heir | March 25, 2008 at 1:24 a.m. (report)
4yrs old... Wow! Why don't you let him brush up on his swearing and encourage him to watch all the "Sopranos" episodes from 1-end. How about having him see George Carlin's "7 words you can't say on T.V." Or maybe while instilling fundamentals of early childhood development, teach him the colors of the rainbow - "ROY-G-F___ing-BIV". I'm sure his incoming KINDERGARDEN class (and teacher) will be impressed with that knowlege!
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ttt | March 17, 2008 at 5:46 p.m. (report)
That is so awesome. Next time I go to Beans, that is EXACTLY how I'm ordering MY banana smoothie. In fact, that is how they ought to list it on the menu. Thank you, Little Edler-Dude.
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brewerfan13 | March 15, 2008 at 9:54 a.m. (report)
The context that he used it in was hilarious!
I think the funny level depends on the age of the child swearing. A 4 year old dropping the f-bomb - funny. A 9 year old doing the same - shocking, but not funny.
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snowstorm | March 15, 2008 at 9:11 a.m. (report)
dpk- fascinating commentary on racial codes and blah, blah, blah! However, I think she said the kid was 4? I'm not sure this will determine his social failure or success at this point. Sounds like someone is an "uptight twit," but who could that be....
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Downtowner | March 14, 2008 at 6:35 p.m. (report)
At least he got it grammatically correct. A wonderful memory for all. Funniest blog I've read in a while. Thanks!
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