04-18-2009, 02:22 PM
So today, I had my little boy over in the playground and there was a small pack of kids playing, and a few dark skinned kids kept calling each other 'nigger!' this and 'nigger!' that.
After a couple of times, I walked over and said "You know, I really don't want that ugly word used around my little boy". They looked at me like suddenly grew a couple of extra heads, but stopped using it.
The funny thing is, I didn't care if they called each other 'faggot' and 'gay' and 'lesbian'... I don't see those as 'dirty words'. My son hears cursing all the time in fact, not so much from me, but on TV shows and such. I'll blurt something out every so often, which he usually immediately copies, but I just redirect him to a different word.
I don't believe there's much point in 'sheltering' kids from stupid words that aren't THAT bad anyway, but for some reason, that particular word is so associated with hatred and ignorance for me, that I don't want my son to think it's an OK thing to say. Hell, he's only 2. He's not even AWARE of racial differences right now... and as far as I'm concerned, he never will be. I think that's one of the few things I would smack him in the chops for saying (not at this age, obviously, but if he were older).
Opinions?
After a couple of times, I walked over and said "You know, I really don't want that ugly word used around my little boy". They looked at me like suddenly grew a couple of extra heads, but stopped using it.
The funny thing is, I didn't care if they called each other 'faggot' and 'gay' and 'lesbian'... I don't see those as 'dirty words'. My son hears cursing all the time in fact, not so much from me, but on TV shows and such. I'll blurt something out every so often, which he usually immediately copies, but I just redirect him to a different word.
I don't believe there's much point in 'sheltering' kids from stupid words that aren't THAT bad anyway, but for some reason, that particular word is so associated with hatred and ignorance for me, that I don't want my son to think it's an OK thing to say. Hell, he's only 2. He's not even AWARE of racial differences right now... and as far as I'm concerned, he never will be. I think that's one of the few things I would smack him in the chops for saying (not at this age, obviously, but if he were older).
Opinions?