Parents Talk: How Do I Curb a Potty Mouth?

Parents Talk will be a weekly feature on Patch where we reach out to those moms, dads, grandparents, etc. looking for a resources and information (or maybe just a sounding board) to talk about parenting. We invite and encourage you to tell your friends about Parents Talk, too. After all, we can’t build a community without your help. Contribute your ideas, questions, anecdotes and advice to other parents in your hometown.

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This week's topic:

I had the funniest conversation with a friend last week about swearing in front of our kids. After a brief, "hi," and "how are you?" at the grocery store, I noticed that three of the fingers on her right hand were splinted and taped. Of course, I had to ask what happened. She said as she was getting her two kids out of the back seat of the car, her coat sleeve got caught up somehow and she slammed her fingers in the car door.

Apparently, in the seconds following, she dropped the "F bomb" with the kids within earshot. Her 4 year-old son quickly picked up on it and now thinks it's the funniest word he's ever heard, repeating it whenever chance allows.

So the question arose, how in the world do you curb a potty mouth? It's one thing to change your ways as a parent and use words like, "shoot," "darn," or "fudge" when you're frustrated, it's a whole other ballgame to get a child to stop cussing, especially when the word is so much fun for them to say.

What would you do? Join the discussion and leave your comments in the section below. We would love to hear from you!