It's unfortunate, but all of my kids learned their swear words from me. Usually in the car.

Which necessitated a quick conversation about which words are for grownups, and which words even grownups shouldn't *really* say.

I try not to drop the F-bomb with my mom, but it doesn't always work.

I don't think there's any words I don't use around my parents. Although my mum hates the word 'bollocks'.

Susan, I think this is the one (although I hadn't seen it before either):

Thanks!

And I thought, "My mother would then have told me 'adults pay for gas, too'" and handed me a bill.

My mother would've said, "You're still under my roof, so you still follow my rules."

I've only cussed in front of my mother a few times, and I usually manage to keep it to a nice mild "Dammit" instead of a "fuckety fuck fuck fuck!"

I'm trying very hard not to swear in front of Annabel, but I slipped yesterday when I failed in my attempt to prevent a spill. She said, "What is it, Mommy?" I told her, and she said, "It's OK. You can just clean it up and put it in the trash."

Out of the mouths of babes...

It's funny this came up because there was a story on NPR this morning that talked specifically about swearing and how kids usually get their vocabulary and speech influences from their peer group and not their parents.

I've only stopped swearing in front of my parents since D's been born, since I'm trying to get out of the habit of swearing in front of the baby. Ironic, eh?

Hey, you should check out this thing I heard on NPR this morning: Why Kids Curse

eta: Aimee and I are NPR twins.

My mother has gotten used to me swearing around her, especially since I learned all my swear words from her. As long as I don't swear at her.

I keep the swearing down to a dull roar around my mom, and Dad--well, he doesn't like to hear any woman swear, so I try and avoid it completely around him. (He's old fashioned in many ways.)

Mom is pretty cool about stuff like that. When my sister and I were in college, we were running around getting ready to head out for a movie or some such, and she and Mom were waiting for me and asking when I'd be ready. I yelled back, "I'm coming, I'm coming," and my sister replied, "Really? Can I watch?" and that cracked Mom up completely. She can get the giggles if you get risque unexpectedly.

I've never heard my Mom swear. I've heard my Dad swear once.

I've never heard my Mom swear. I've heard my Dad swear once.

tommyrot is me.

My Dad had a heart attack my freshman year of college. When we visited him in the hospital, where he couldn't indulge in his usual 3-pack-a-day habit, his response to "How's the food?" was "Shitty." That's when we knew it was bad.

The upside, of course, was that his stay in the hospital was long enough to kick the physical addication to nicotine. He never smoked again.

Honestly, I didn't used to curse very much. I guess I am more angry, more often.