Last night as my 4-year-old son was lifted out of the bathtub, he said, Could you please dry me off — I’m friggin’ cold!
Unfortunately, I almost laughed my head off and had to do that look-down-and-away thing while my husband stepped in to tell the boy not to say “Friggin’.'”
But why? my son asked. Mama says it.
Well yes, but I’m all about double standards, my dear.
In reality, I know that I need to watch my mouth more. I don’t do any overt cussing in front of my kids, but lots of “frigging” and “oh my gosh” and “darned” are thrown around. I probably wouldn’t mind my kids saying these things if they were older, but at ages four and two I want them to stay innocent. No, they don’t know that “frigging” is actually a diluted version of the F-bomb, and that “gosh” is an attempt at avoiding blasphemy. But in our family, it matters that our hearts stay in a pure place and I want to set a good example.
My grandpa used to say Drat Drat Double Drat! when he was frustrated (in front of us kids, anyway).
Does your family have a word or phrase that you use for frustration? Where do you draw the line on cussing and pseudo-cussing in your house?
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