Barry On Baseball Also blogging at Banished to the Pen.
My son is 18, and he dropped an F-bomb in front of me yesterday without even thinking. We are at a fuzzy time where he isn't quite sure what he can or can't say in front of me.
What I have always told him is words have power. Spraying profanity around lessens the power they have. And those words do have power if used in the right context. When you waste them how can someone know the reason you used them was important?
My kid used to log on as me and read Redszone. I'm glad that it was at least PG-13.
Dubito Ergo Cogito Ergo Sum.
This brings up an interesting issue with profanity. Adults curse around other adults, but not around kids, while kids curse around other kids but never adults.
I think your response was a much more rational and effective method than just banning kids from using bad language. You let him know that there is a time and place to use them, but they generally weaken whatever statement you are trying make. Kids, like everyone, will use profanity, trying to stop them is ineffective at least and hypocritical at worst.
Hoping to change my username to 75769023
It's only hypocritical to the individuals that curse and then tell their kids it's not OK to curse. There are still some people that do abstain from that kind of language (I'm not one of them, though I do it much more infrequently than others).
But I do agree sometimes it's counterproductive to take a hardline stance against it. The first time they hear you shout an obscenity, you've likely undone any chance you may have had of getting through to them.
"No matter how good you are, you're going to lose one-third of your games. No matter how bad you are you're going to win one-third of your games. It's the other third that makes the difference." ~Tommy Lasorda
I don't see why people make such a big deal out of words that have applied and not concrete meanings. Sticks and stones, ya know?
I don't curse, but those who do don't really offend me, particularly if they do it well (see Mumford and Sons 'Little Lion Man'), On a board like this, I think conversations without the rougher language tend to be more civil.
Besides, after having the name of the hero of Gettysburg rendered 'Winfield Scott Han****' in a post I once made on the History Channel boards, I haven't seen much to complain about here.
"No matter how good you are, you're going to lose one-third of your games. No matter how bad you are you're going to win one-third of your games. It's the other third that makes the difference." ~Tommy Lasorda
So will this thread or the Teachers thread (which is off to a hefty lead) have more legs...I can see both of these threads still going strong up until pitchers and catchers report.
"No matter how good you are, you're going to lose one-third of your games. No matter how bad you are you're going to win one-third of your games. It's the other third that makes the difference." ~Tommy Lasorda
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