Bad Words

The walls have ears. This is particularly true when you have a toddler. Everything said around the house and outside of the house can be heard by your toddler. And, every once in a while, even though you try to shield their tiny ears from harsh words, they hear a curse or other not so nice word. So it’s not stretch that one day your toddler will say a curse not knowing the meaning behind it.

It’s really a factor of did they know the meaning behind the word or were they just trying out a new word. In most cases, children under three don’t understand if a word is a curse and thus not appropriate to say. The best way to deal with this situation might be to simply ignore it. Chances are they won’t say it again.

If your child is three or older, they might not know the meaning of the word but chances are that they know that it’s inappropriate to say. In this case, you should explain to your child that the language is not acceptable. It also might be tempting to laugh or make a joke out of the offensive language but, this could send the wrong message to your child and reinforce the bad habit.

Here are a few steps to help your child understand the consequences of bad words.

• Explain how harsh or bad words can make others feel and how others might perceive them.
• Ask your child if they understand the meaning behind the word. Ask them what they were feeling when they said the word. This will give you some context around what they meant and what the feeling they were trying to express.
• Show them that there are alternatives to expressing themselves with bad words and negativity.

Most young children grow out of it with a little help and guidance form their families.