What did you just say?

Whether said in the heat of the moment or expressed as a “cool” phrase that their friends use, at one time or another we may be confronted with a swearing child and hearing your child use bad language can be shocking and disheartening.

Although reacting in resentment and anger may be your first reaction, another strategy may be more effective.  The Love and Logic Parenting method teaches us to stay calm and control our emotions. Simply tell your child, “When you can talk to me using clean language, I’ll be happy to discuss this with you” and when the time is right to talk about it, have a short, calm discussion and then leave it at that.

When talking to your son or daughter, you could explain that people who use bad language usually don’t feel that good about themselves. Or maybe suggest that when people use bad language, they don’t know many words, so they use bad words because they can’t think of any other words to use.

Although, kids will use whatever language they want, the best strategy is to set a good example for your kids and model the good language that you want them to use.  It is pretty much guaranteed that if your children hear bad language from you, or other adults they spend a lot of time with, they are bound to pick up bad language habits themselves.

 

Kathy Jenkins is the President of Come To Order, a residential professional organizing company in Richmond, VA.  As a Certified Professional Organizer®, Certified Family Manager® Coach, Love & Logic® Parenting Facilitator/Coach and Student Organizer, Kathy especially enjoys working with kids and their families to help them learn good organizational skills that will benefit them for a lifetime.  To learn more about Love & Logic Parenting, follow Kathy on G+.