The “f-word” can be used in almost any position in a sentence.
This phenomenon has confounded linguists and been included in many linguistics studies.
Think about it. Take the sentence, “Martha, I need your help,” and think about how many ways the f-word would work in that one sentence.
And while that is a marvel that the inner nerd in all of us is sure to enjoy, we can ask ourselves another question: Why we are so scared of that word?
Or, why are we scared of any of the countless other swear words?
Though we don’t want the next generation to sound like the South Park cast in conversations with their employers, the Editorial Board does believe that swearing even when in front of children would let kids adjust to how adults speak in real life and destigmatize the words themselves.
It is important to acknowledge that swearing in this context does not include slurs. The Editorial Board believes that slurs reflect negative stereotypes and should not be used, no matter what the context.
First, there is the argument that swearing in front of children will be harmful for their development.
While this doesn’t stop parents from muttering curses under their breath, it does make them more close-lipped than they were before having kids.
However, is it really the swearing that is problematic?
Dr. Ronald E. Riggio claims that swearing is not that bad overall, but the real harm comes from the stigma the child can witness after saying a swear word. This doesn’t mean that the little sponges that are young ears don’t sense what is going on, though.
Researchers have found that school-aged student know thirty to forty swear words by the time they enter school.
Thus, it is likely that our current tight lips are doing nothing except embarrassing us.
While the fact that the kids already know the words should maybe cause us to rethink our attitudes on cursing, another logic for swearing in front of kids is that it removes the temptation behind saying the swear words in the first place.
For kids, swearing is forbidden fruit. It’s one of the first things that they can do that is considered adult. They hear curse words from their friends and classmates, and swearing becomes the next cool thing to learn.
By swearing in front of children, aren’t we just exposing them to another word like “bowl” or spoon”? And, because it is us that give significance to these words, aren’t we removing their strength by saying them out loud without care?
We at Editorial Board aren’t trying to make choices for your family, nor do we do think that making the choice not to swear in front of your children means that they will go swear all the time by themselves.
However, being exposed to swear words means that they are less likely to be shocked when that know-it-all kid explains it to them in the back of the class.
Maybe that in itself is worth it.
