when you teach your children curse words, (and i dont mean to blow the word "CRAP" out of proportion here-lol) but exposing them to harsh language and behavior, it may not affect you or bother you, but reality is they will be segregated from their own potential to have a lot of GOOD Friends.

For instance, children who use certain words before their time usually dont get invited to birthday parties, play dates, get togethers or what not. Most parents are very reluctant to allow their kids to hang out with them supervised or unsupervised. That is somewhat a punishment for your childs behavior. Would you like to see your child sad or lonley because you've called different people to arrange hang outs with your kids and they always turn you down.

Kids who steal, kick, fight or curse, dont have friends, the friends they have are the ones in the principals office everyday and juvenile hall in the afternoon. It may not affect you but it affects them.

Good Grief. For some reason the word uptight comes to mind......

i highly doubt the kid i'm talking about is going to have no friends.
it's not like she goes around cursing all the time.
just when i'm watching her.
and the only word she says is crap.
[D:
holy ****.
cover your ears.]
besides, she's using it correctly.
it is absolutely no biggie.
if her life is ruined twenty years from now because she started saying crap,
i'll take the blame.

For me as a single Mum of 6, I have given up on what they don't need to learn.

My children socialise with truckies, prostitutes, criminals even men who are on the most wanted list in our state (obviously that was before we found out.) well he still a great bloke but probably not a great influence and whoever else is in our area at the time. They have probably heard every swear word ever invented, do I like this, nope but I love the people here and accept them for who they are..

I do not swear at all, I dont even like it, but the majority of people who swear in front of myself and my children dont do it to be insulting, its just normal to them, a lot of them try not to swear out of respect..
Anyway after that long speach, my children can all swear black and blue if they want to..
Do they Not in front of me. However the only rule I have about swearing is that they dont swear in front of women and children..
If they are with their friends and they all swear, I may not like it but hey they are kids and they will do what they decide to , all I can do is offer them some guidence..
I have never heard my children swear in front of anyone who does not swear, and if I did hear them it was only because they didnt realise that I was there.
My children are 11 to 21 and so far I have had no problems with them hanging out with rougher people, their friends are all well behaved and their parents range from policemen, doctors or whatever.
I think basically they are going to hear it, as long as a parent tea hes their children to respect others feelings, I dont think its a big deal

I agree, we should strive to teach children the best most productive behaviors, not the most destructive or unproductive ones. I dont see the personal benefit to the child to teach them rude things, I see it more as a way for adults to use children for their own entertainment. It takes no more effort than it would take to teach them positive and beneficial behaviors.

Public Schools is a great place for KIDS to teach KIDS, but when they are at home, it is a good place to teach them the difference between right and wrong, acceptable and not acceptable. If you wish your child job security at taco bell, then you probably dont need to worry about it....but other jobs and interviews and social meetings....they should know some manners. Most adults swear anyways and do a lot of innapropriate things in life. That is ok per their choice of adult behavior, there is a TIME and a PLACE for everything. Life is hard enough without us throwing a wrench in their spokes. They will learn it eventually, why rush it.

Yeah, I would be upset. It's just not a classy way to speak. It paves the way for some brash language later on, you know the friend: you can't take her anywhere nice because she doesn't know how to behave.

Kids saying 'adult' things give parents a different reaction than others who may think it's funny. I thought it was funny when my friend's daughter repeated some off-color remarks, but when my daughter called a little boy a "little b*tch" I was floored! He deserved it though, maybe not THOSE words, but he was older than her and very whiny. Anyways, I was STUNNED and overall very concerned with where (and from whom) she heard those words from. It's not funny anymore when it's your own kid.

Whatever works for you but I can't help thinking of the phrase Rebel Without a Clue. lol Know that I was no angel and some of my opinions now are from having life give me an attitude adjustment via the school of hard knocks. One thing you don't want to have to do is have to self edit your language in a high stress situation so developeing acceptable vocabulary habits do make life easier.