Strollerderby : Potty mouth

Another Four-Letter Word My Kid Can't Say

JeanneSager — Thu, 14 May 2009 15:27:00 GMT

Carlin had his seven dirty words. At my house, we have an eighth.

Turd.

My daughter will not, cannot, should not say it. Nor my husband for that matter.

The word panties makes my colleague Madeline, get the creepy crawlies. But the four-letter T-word for poop just makes me wrinkle up my nose and gag.

It's not what it stands for - although, to be fair, I'm no more a fan of that than I am of the other "gift" left in children's diapers. But poop is poop. And I grew up in the land of dairy cows. We have our share of chicken farms. Trust me, I've smelled some of the worst of it.

It's the word that I find cringe-tastic. It's a noxious, base way of referring to something that we all know is pretty loathesome to begin with. That it's the kind of word you hear used derisively on the playground doesn't help. "C'mere you little turd!" will never pass as a term of endearment.

Yet, it's a perfectly average word. One that a teacher can hardly fault a child for using, one that many people drop into conversation in mixed company, at least into conversations regarding the use of the facilities. Banning my daughter from using it might seem to some to be extreme. I say it's no more odd than my parents' insistence that my little brother and I refrain from ever uttering the word "fart" (which my husband found uproarious when we first started dating - he'd say it just to get a rise out of me).

What are the commonly used (even on the radio) words that you won't let your kids use?

Image: PoopReport

Supreme Court Says Keep Cursing Off Daytime TV

Dad Fined $2,000 for Cursing in Front of Kid

JeanneSager — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 16:01:00 GMT

Forget the cussing jar. What if every time you dropped an F-bomb in front of your kid you had to pay up to the tune of $2K?

I'm no sailor, but one LEGO in the bare foot later, and my bank account would be wiped.

A father in Pennsylvania is fighting a court-mandated "no cursing zone" put forth by the judge overseeing the custody of his nine-year-old. The judge issued a requirement that the man, "refrain from using any profanity when dealing with mother and mother's husband, and using any type of language around the children that's inappropriate."

On the whole, I'd agree. Divorces are rough enough without dad getting nasty with mom and her new hubby. And parents shouldn't, by and large, curse in front of their kids. It's uncouth.

But doesn't this sound kind of vague? Any inappropriate language, meaning, what? My parents didn't let us use the word "fart." Is that a finable offense? What about the parents who say don't say the word "stupid." Or what about "crap?"

The dad has since used some sort of four-letter word. The story in the Bucks County Courier doesn't say which one (could be crap!), but it earned dad a $2,000 fine. Apparently, the judge thinks he was being a sh---y father (oops, I went and said it).

The man is challenging his fine on the basis of free speech, and I'd tend to agree with him. Cursing At your kids on any sort of consistent basis isn't OK - that's abuse. But cursing in front of them. On occasion? It happens. And we're definitely NOT the only ones who do it. My daughter learned the word "bulls--t" from my mother, I'll have you know (yes, the same woman who wouldn't let me say "fart."). She heard "s--t" in the deli the other day, and "a--hole" in the lobby at the doctor's office.

Maybe His Honor would like to take this show on the road? He could follow my three-year-old and I around town and hand out fines.

Image: Sodahead

Supreme Court Says Keep Cursing Off Daytime TV

JeanneSager — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 18:00:00 GMT

If you can't keep your sailor mouth clean, have heart. You can continue plopping your kids in front of the TV during the day for some curse-free entertainment . . . for now anyway.

The U.S. Supreme Court voted five to four to uphold the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) hold over "foul language" on television between the hours of 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. The issue came up in regards to "fleeting expletives," the one-off f-bomb dropped on a live show (rather than cussing worked into a scripted program).

So is this good for parents and kids? Maybe.

ABC, CBS and Fox, who have been trying to avoid fines for cussing on their networks, are headed back to yet another federal court to fight their fines on the basis of free speech. And Justice Clarence Thomas, who voted with the majority, has written an opinion regarding what he calls “questionable viability” of two FCC regulations that relate to this topic. Voting against the FCC, Justice John Paul Stevens went so far as to call it "ironic" that the FCC goes after words relating to "sex" and "excrement" (hmmm, wonder which words he's talking about there, don'tcha?) even as “commercials broadcast during prime-time hours frequently ask viewers whether they too are battling erectile dysfunction or are having trouble going to the bathroom.”

I try to reign in my potty mouth around my daughter (I try to reign it in period, but hey, life happens). But is a one-off dirty word on TV really that bad? They're just as likely to hear it in the grocery store or the school bus. I sat in our favorite deli eating grilled cheese sandwiches just last week while a group of four twenty-something guys one table over did everything but smear us in the s--t they couldn't stop bringing up.

And Justice Stevens, I'm with you. I don't want to explain erectile dysfunction to my three-year-old just yet. Somehow, explaining what flies out of a cow's butt doesn't seem quite as bad as that.

Image: WriteForBlogs

Will Ferrell's Landlord Retires From Comedy

Brett Singer — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 16:00:00 GMT

Fans of Pearl, Adam McKay's adorable potty-mouthed daughter, will need to find another outlet for toddler trash talk. The star of the FunnyOrDie short "The Landlord" is retiring.

According to the site, "Good Cop, Baby Copy" is Pearl's final performance. That doesn't mean she won't return to acting when she's old enough to know what she's doing. But it won't be the same.

Good Cop, Baby Cop from Will Ferrell

Oh, and in case you were wondering if Pearl's potty-mouth continues offscreen, the answer is no, at least according to her dad. I'm sure we'll all sleep better knowing that.

Image: TVSquad

OctoMom Video Blog at RadarOnline

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When They Can Curse in Context

JeanneSager — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 18:03:00 GMT

Madame didn’t like the bowl of chicken noodle soup. So she looked up at me through those too die for lashes wasted on pre-schoolers. “I want hot dogs.” I held my ground. “You asked for soup. You’re having soup.” Throwing herself on the floor, she screamed, “that’s bulls**t!”

Not just cursing. Curses used in context. Uh oh. Even the goody goody parents have at one time or another let slip a four-letter something or other in front the kids. Someone cuts you off in traffic. "Awww, f**k." Obnoxious lady in the grocery store hits you in the heels with the cart – again. "Son of a . . ." We expect them to repeat them, ad nauseam, at the most inopportune times. Your mother-in-law comes over. “Hey Gwandma, I’m a son of a beeeeeeep.” You had to see that coming.

But cursing in context? This is bad. This is very, very bad.

Oh Well, if I'm up s**t creek, at least my kid will know how to find me. Which makes me wonder - if our kids are going to pick up on bad words, do we really feel any better when they at least use them correctly?

Mom Takes Her Potty Mouth to Work

Mom Takes her Potty Mouth to Work

JeanneSager — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 15:30:00 GMT

I really gotta go potty. Which would be all well and good, but I just told my boss.
Actually, the exact words were, “I’ll do it in a minute. First I hafta go potty.” He wasn’t impressed. And I was more than a little embarrassed. Ever stop and realize your potty mouth isn’t the adult variety?

The comments on this Wall Street Journal Juggle article were your usual been there, done that, still have the pee smell on the backseat. It was the comment from a mom who’d dubbed herself “AllBoys,” that made me gulp.

“I cannot stand hearing grown women say, ‘Mommy needs to go potty now’,” she said.

Sorry, grown woman over here. I say potty. I say stinky and boo-boo. I also spend an inordinate amount of time with someone who won’t be allowed into a PG-13 movie for another decade.

Being a parent means dropping the cuss words – which can be eminently helpful in upping the professional image. But does our new vocabulary list put a target on our backs the size of Alaska? I’ll let you know what my boss says next time I ask if he remembered to say “thank you” to the guy who refilled the printer with paper.

Image: Ky_Olsen

Strollerderby : Potty mouth

Another Four-Letter Word My Kid Can't Say

Dad Fined $2,000 for Cursing in Front of Kid

Supreme Court Says Keep Cursing Off Daytime TV

Dad Fined $2,000 for Cursing in Front of Kid

Supreme Court Says Keep Cursing Off Daytime TV

Parents Blackmail Their Kids' School

Mom, That Cuts! No, Really

Supreme Court Says Keep Cursing Off Daytime TV

Hooray for Book Banners - No Really

Bag of Feces Sent Home in Kid's Backpack

Get Their Pee Away from Me

Will Ferrell's Landlord Retires From Comedy

Wolverine Blow Up Toy

OctoMom Video Blog at RadarOnline

Photo - Obama Shocked by Schoolkids

RENT Too Risqué For Some Schools

Fun Stuff To Do When The Kids Get Older

When They Can Curse in Context

Mom Takes her Potty Mouth to Work