Jonas brought home a new word last night- the 'f ' word. Starts with f, ends with k. You know the one. This is a word that Jonas has probably never heard. We don't use it, we don't watch shows or listen to music that uses it, and 99% of our friends are just like us, so they don't use it. But some great kid on the bus told Jonas about this word, and was even nice enough to teach Jonas how to spell it. I knew this would happen some day, but when he stepped off the bus and asked me if I knew what that word was, I wasn't prepared. My first impulse was to be mad at him and punish him for saying it. But within a nano-second I realized he was just asking a question about a new word. So I calmed down and told him it was a word he should never use and there are too many other words in the world he can use, and to not waste his time or breath on that one.
But leave it to Jonas to go one step further and ask "But what does it mean?"
I was stumped.
All I could eek out was something about it being used to be mean and hateful and really didn't have a meaning, per se. What a crock! Jonas didn't buy it, and asked at least 3 more times "But what does it mean?" I had to finally tell him that all he needed to know was to not use it and to ask other people not to use it around him. Here I am, the parent who has taught him the correct anatomical names of his body parts and never pretended Santa was real. We talk about the difference between skinny and healthy at dinner, and I've taught him how to read the nutrition label on food packaging. There has been no veil of secrecy or fantasy in our house. But when it comes to a simple word...I pull the equivilant of "Because I said so". And Craig pointed out that it only gets harder and more complicated from here. *sigh* God help us all!
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3 comments:
Well, as you know, I'm probably in that 1% of friends who talk a little differently than you. ;) And Julian has picked this word up and used it from time to time. We've told him it means "darn" or "bummer", and that it's a grown-up word not to be used by him, not to be used at school, and certainly not in the company of his grandparents. :D
As for any other explanation, there's no need for him to know it's also a crude slang word for doin it. ;) He can learn his homonyms later. hehe
I remember when we first moved into our neighborhood in Clear Lake, and were just getting to know the neighbors. In the afternoons, the kids would get off the school bus at the end of the street and slowly make their way to their homes, carrying on whatever they had been doing on the bus. On this particular day, there was a conflict on the bus that angered one boy. So as the kids were making their way down the street, this one boy was repeatedly yelling various forms of the "f" word at the other kids, at the top of his lungs. Welcome to the neighborhood!
It's the world we live in, and our kids are going to be exposed to every word you can think of (and some you may not even know yet!). But having parents who love them and teach them right from wrong goes further than we think sometimes.
"Ass" was the word of the week at my house! You guys live in the hood and things are much tougher up north! ha ha
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