Your child’s first words and first steps are milestones that you as parents treasure forever. However there are some “other firsts” you would love to erase altogether. One such is when your little one utters the first swear word. There is every chance this may occur when you are in a crowd embarrassing you to no end. However, you can be rest assured this is perfectly a normal phase in your toddler’s age and all you need to do is nip it in the bud itself. The issue is not where he or she picked it up from, but how to deal with it tactfully and gradually put a full stop to this habit.
What Is Swearing And Potty Mouthing?
A kindergartner has just started interacting with the outside world, and is even experimenting. Like many others, your toddler is coming up with some words to express her frustration or displeasure over a situation that does not go her way. These words may elicit laughter and giggles the first time your child says them, but when it becomes an habit, you may want to intervene. Swearing and offensive words need to be curtailed from your child’s vocabulary, no matter where they came to her from. Most parents are also guilty of swearing over small things, like being stuck in a traffic jam; and the crux here is that these incidents have a great influence on your inquisitive child sitting close by.
How To Tackle Swearing And Potty Mouthing In Toddlers?
One thing you need to keep in mind while dealing with this problem is to remember kids are by nature attention grabbers and if they realize swearing or potty talk can attract attention, they will naturally repeat it often. Given below are some simple tips which are sure to help you tackle potty talk and get rid of this embarrassing habit in your toddler.
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- Be firm and clear: You first need to convey clearly to your little one what words are acceptable to use at home and what is not. Explaining this to them clearly will surely help them understand they cannot get away with potty talk or swearing
- Identify the source: As a cautious parent, you will need to attempt to discover where your toddler is picking up this language from. Little ones are like sponges and learn new ‘lingos’ irrespective of them being good or bad. You have to keep a tab on your baby and discover from where he or she has been picking up such words from. There is every chance they may have heard an adult or other peers in their group use such language
- Figure if your child is frustrated: It is important to figure out if some sort of frustration or disappointment may be instigating your child to swear. There is every chance little kids begin using such language when they are unable to express their frustration or anger in any other manner. They discover potty talking or swearing is an effective method to attract attention. If this is the case, the best option would be to sit down with your little one and patiently explain swearing is not the best means to get their message across. This will surely help them to understand this is not a healthy manner to give vent to their emotions and slowly get out of this habit
- Spend more quality time with your child: For all you know, your toddler might have begun using such words in order to grab your attention even though it is in a negative manner. Ensure you spend quality time with your preschooler so that he or she does not require using bad language in order to gain attention
- Teach them respect: They need to realize potty talking or swearing is not encouraged either at home or in school and they may get into trouble if they use these words. They have to understand they are hurting other children’s feeling when they use bad language and this is not something nice although their friends may be using such words
- Be careful of your language: Although adults including you, do use such language often, it is imperative you need to watch your language and ensure you do not use such words in front of your child as chances of your toddler imitating you are quite high. They begin wondering why Mama or Papa can use such language and why it is forbidden as far as they are concerned. So be extremely careful about what you speak in your child’s presence
- Give them the alternative of substituting fun words: In most cases, your toddler may be trying out this new swear word he has happened to pick up just for some cheap thrill. You could try persuading them to substitute this word for something else like “abracadabra” every time she feels like uttering bad language
- Draw a line: If you find none of these tactics are working, then it is high time you begin imposing some sort of disciplinary tactics. However it is important you so not lose your calm but respond immediately and remain consistent. You child will soon realize he cannot continue this kind of language and drop the habit sooner or later
So next time you hear your child swearing, don’t panic, be calm and work out how to deal with it tactfully. Just keep in mind the fact no age is too early to make your child comprehend that swearing is not by any means acceptable.
