Laurie Appleby-Williams
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Ruby's Favorite Word

9/6/2013

3 Comments

 
It's no secret, I like to curse. And out of all the "bad" words my favorite is fuck. There's just something so satisfying when you say that word. It's one solid syllable that is able to express perfectly the frustration and/or anger I feel in the situation where I feel the need to use it. I dropped my iPhone, shattering the screen? Fuuuck!  Forgot my wallet at home? Fuck! I just got an $800 bill from an ER trip where they literally just took Ruby's temperature and sent us on our way? Fuck! See? It just works so perfectly! 

So I am guessing that you know where I am heading with this. Ruby has started to say the f-word. The first time she said it was months ago. I think I said it while on the way home and in traffic. I said it and from the backseat I hear her sweet little voice repeat it. ''fuck''. I didn't react, didn't say, "Don't say that bad, bad word!" or anything like that. I just let it go in the hopes that by not drawing attention to it that it would just be a one time thing. 

Weeeeelll, that didn't exactly work. I'd hear her say it everyone once in a while but I still ignored it. One time, again on the way home from daycare, I heard her in the back saying, "fuckfuckfuckfuck fuck  fuck!" over and over again. She did this several days in a row. I am certain that I didn't say the word and that send her off in a diatribe of fucks so I really don't know where it came from. She'd even started using it in the right context. She'd be struggling to get her shoes on in the morning and she'd say"fuck!'" One time she dropped her glass and spilled milk everywhere..Oh wait..I think that was dammit...probably after hearing me say that, too. Oops. See, I am an equal opportunity swearer. 

Anyway. So I wasn't too concerned about it until the weekend of Woodland when Ruby was with her grandparents and she used the word, again in frustration because she couldn't get her shoe on, but this time grandpa heard her say it. And he spanked her. Yeah. So since then we've been working on trying to get her not to say the f-word anymore. I've explained to her that ''fuck is a word for mommy and daddy to use" (even though H very rarely swears) and that she shouldn't use it. Then she'd say, "I not say fuck!" lol. So I've given her alternatives: Can't get your shoes on?? Say, "awwww, man!" instead! Spilled your drink? Say, "bummer!" instead! 

So far I think we've made some progress but we are not totally out of the F-in woods yet. Occasionally something will happen and she'll start to say, "fuu....." but then I'll  catch her and give her 'the look' complete with raised eye brow and it turns into, "fuuu...awwww man!" I've caught her whispering it over and over again very, very quietly under her breath. When she knows that I've noticed she breaks out in a huge grin and starts to giggle. And I laugh right back, which I know is probably not cool, but dangit! It's funny! Yes, Mother of the Year I am not, not that I am really trying for it. The funny thing is that daycare has not mentioned anything about it and I've never heard her say while we are out in public, only while we are at home. 
3 Comments
Joan link
9/7/2013 05:39:02 pm

My son went through that. We tried ignoring it and then not ignoring it. Nothing worked until we got a swear jar and made him put in a quarter when he swore. (He was older than Ruby obviously.) Now my daughter likes to say "bastard" every time she gets angry - to me, her brother, her dad. I honestly don't know where she's getting that word from.

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Elizabeth
10/27/2013 01:02:09 pm

You are girls after my own heart. I effing LOVE to curse! It makes me ridiculously happy. So far the only way I can keep my kids from doing it is by explaining that when they are adults they can choose to curse like sailors if they want to but it's not acceptable for kids...my hubs thinks it's terrible to set double standards to which i say.... Well then maybe we should just hand her a fucking vodka red bull cuz mamas not gonna quit those either! ;) and on a side note... Does your phone autocorrect fucking to ducking? I ducking hate it when it does that!

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Laurie Appleby-Williams
10/27/2013 03:01:42 pm

Sometime it does, but most of the time it doesn't. I guess it's given up and has realized that I am just going to keep typing it. It will change shit to shot or hot and hell to he'll.

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