Friday, September 28, 2012
Parental Advisory: Explicit Content
A couple of weeks ago, when I was on hiatus (that makes me sound important, right,) something hilarious/terrible happened. I had the day off from work, and was all by my onesies while the kids were in school. I should have done something awesome with my free time like throw a kegger, but instead I was slaving over Halloween decorations. Anyhoozle, while I was getting my hot glue on, I got a phone call. From my kids' principal. Zoinks. Apparently, Sassafrass, my darling six year old, was in the office. Her offense? Calling a little boy in her class a dick. (In her defense, he was totally being a dick. In my defense, she actually didn't hear that from me. Any other curse word I could probably lay claim to, but I really don't know where she picked up this one.) After my immediate horror subsided, I started getting a little pissy. The intellectual part of me said, "That's unacceptable. She can't just walk around calling people names. Especially ones like that." However, the dirty, damn the man hippie in me said, "That's horseshit! Who decides what a bad word is? If she had called the kid a poopy-head, she would have just pulled a quarter in class. But, she calls a kid a word that's arbitrarily designated as a 'bad word,' and all hell breaks loose. Shenanigans, I say!" I'm still conflicted. Obviously, because I'm a sell-out, I gave her a good talking to about curse words and name calling and all that jazz. But it still just makes me all mangry thinking about it. Not the school's reaction, really, just how random language is. I'm tired. And digressing. Does anyone out there get as hot and bothered about stupid crap like this as I do, or is my crazy just showing?
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hmmm... make me wonder about being all uptight. Is it even worth the effort? why? :)
ReplyDeleteI try to expend as little effort as possible, so I say, "Nay."
DeleteI find it crazy how sounds, that make words, are arbitrarily assigned the "bad" label. And then some are even more bad! It's all very strange.
ReplyDeleteExactly! I tried explaining this to my husband, but he was not picking up what I was laying down.
DeleteTaught kid early there are some words that are okay everywhere, and some that are not allowed in school or at grandma's.
ReplyDeleteDamnit is just for home. Ditto the name of some people's savior that happens to be my favorite exasperation word.
I still hate my kid saying the f$*@ word. Too angry for a kid, whose live is pretty ducking charmed?
Meh. Schools have stupid rules. So do some employers. Nice timedor her to learn that the damn man will bring you down lest you find ways to trick him.
I know, I know. Damn the man and his making me squash my child's budding profanity skills!
DeleteWell if it's any consolation...at my girlfriend's school the teachers are not allowed to touch kids. Like if a child has a button that needs to be buttoned, they are not allowed to help them...even though they are 4. Things are ridiculous now a days.k
ReplyDeleteDon't get me started on theh fragrance free environment at my kids school
Um, say what?! That's banana sandwich!
DeleteI'm with you on all counts - I agree it sucks that some words are arbitrarily deemed "bad," but I also have to work within the confines of society, which is largely populated by stupid illogical people who make the rules. So I'd have given the lecture, too. I'll also give the pissy side eyes to my SIL, though, when she lets a "bad" word fly in front of my dtr and instead of apologizing says, "It's not really a bad word, it's just a word for adults." Well DUH, but I'm trying to teach the kids not to say that crap so they don't say it at school, so how about not un-doing all the stupid effing parenting work I didn't want to do in the first place just because you have no verbal filter???
ReplyDeleteI'm also tired and digressing. Sorry.
Yes! I'm all, "I know everything I'm saying to my kid is hypocritical and stupid, but just leave me alone and let me get on with it!"
Deletethat is funny though, but really, school's consider all kinds of words "bad" now. Why the hell is it a matter for being sent to the principal though? That part is stupid, like, couldn't the teacher have just dealt with it then mentioned it to you after school??? I mean, 6 is still pretty young. A simply "you may not know it, but that's actually a bad word. Now that you know, I expect you not to use it again." There, done and done. No drama.
ReplyDeleteSee, now that would make just way too much sense, woman!
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ReplyDeleteI tell my kids that words themselves are not good or bad. It's how people use them and how people hear them. Dick and piss used to be in common usage. But now people don't like to hear them, so we don't use them. But even regular words like stupid and retarded can be used to hurt people. If we use words to hurt people, then it doesn't matter what word it is, it was wrong. My autties get that.
ReplyDeleteThat's a really good point! That's kind of what I told her, which was mostly it wasn't nice to call people names, but I did harp on the "cursing" a bit more. I'm probably just going to repeat your comment to my kids next time something like this happens!
DeleteStupid principal! I thought he was our pal!
ReplyDeleteI just tell my kids not to say that stuff outside the house and so far, that has worked so far (knock wood).
Hey, you're right! What the eff, princiPAL?!
DeleteYeah that's a tough one. My mom was, and is, very anti-bad words and I was raised to be very conscious of using "bad words". Nowadays I look at my mom as being extremely uptight when it comes to fowl languages but I have no problems with it and use fowl language quite often. But then I also find myself very much not wanting my kids to use bad language in any situation. Basically what I'm saying is that I'm a really mentally confused person.
ReplyDeleteIt's okay. I am, too.
DeleteWe talk about "hurtful words" and "unimaginative words."
ReplyDeleteWe don't use words TO people or ABOUT them if it's hurtful. In other words, no name calling, no denigrating. And some words are just tacky and evidence of limited vocabulary and/or imagination, and should be avoided.
And finally, I say that there is a good reason that "cuss words" were invented. Sometimes, there's just nothing better than a good, loud, emphatic "Awwww, SHIT." The only time that's acceptable outside the privacy of your mind or your bedroom is when nobody -- not even Mom -- would argue with you.
Even more good points for me to put into my next talk about this. I'm just going to keep putting my problems on the interwebs, and let you guys do all the parenting for me!
Deletehi, i'm sherilin. it appears that we read some of the same blogs, so i wandered over here today & was pleased to find you amusing, so i thought i'd introduce myself.
ReplyDeleteand for the record, while i don't want to hear it from a little kid, some people are just dicks. your daughter's right.
Welcome! Glad to see you here!
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