Kids are sponges. I first heard this fact from another parent as they recounted their own parental horror story of their kids mimicking their use of four-letter profanity in the presence of judgmental authority figures. Eeeek!
With my tongue well-worn from my own overuse of cursing, combined with my ever-present doubts of parenting correctly, I knew I needed to alter my bad-language habits or risk suffering similarly-embarrassing consequences of being judged for having a cursing child in public. No, that didn’t mean that I stopped uttering cries of frustration after making mistakes or suffering injuries; it just meant that I had chosen to tone down my obscenities to rated-G substitutes of “darn it” and “shoot” instead.
With that conscious attempt, I thought I had thwarted any possibility of being surprised by mimicry of my offspring. Nope. Little did I realize that children are seeking any and all information, absorbing way more than just the occasional slip of the tongue.
Playing with Dolls. By Sara Zimmerman from UnearthedComics.com. Available as tees, mugs and posters at Shop.UnearthedComics.com
It’s only when my kid regurgitates something that I unconsciously said before that I realize that, regardless of her responding to my requests, she is not only listening to me, she is also listening to everyone else around her AND the media as well. This makes me realize the enormous impact that language and observed behavior has on children and inspires me to try my hardest to be conscious of what I am saying and doing in my life. And, hopefully, if all goes well, at least the good stuff will rub off too.
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Parent Reality Check of playing with dolls. Available as Tees, Mugs, Posters at UnearthedComics.com