Mind your mouth...

When I was a child, I was forbidden to use fowl language.

Our house, though that means just my mother and I, was very strict in that sense. In fact, I was so well trained that I never even cussed outside of the house, for fear that somehow my mother would know that I had done it.

By today's standards, so I have been told by some, I was abused. I think not. See, when I was growing up, my mother led the house with a set of rules that were rigidly enforced, and they were enforced with a belt or spatula that was always in easy reach of my mother. But she never hit me for anything other than a well deserved reason... like the time I stabbed a fellow classmate in first or second grade with a pencil.

That being said, and now you, the reader, understanding my upbringing, I can continue.

Up until the time I joined the Marine Corps, I never cussed. However, if there is anything that the Corps taught me, it was how, when and where to cuss. You will find very few Marines, or many other soldiers for that matter, that do not use their fair share of foul language.

Now a days, though, I am noticing a sad trend. More and more children are cussing, and in public, not caring who hears.

I have two major questions about this...

1. Why are these kids so free with their language?
2. Why are their parents not doing anything about it?

I feel that part of the reason there is so little control over what kids do and do not do these days is that parents either will not or cannot discipline their kids. I have met both of these types of people, and they simply amaze me. Here is what I see, in a nutshell.

Will not discipline -
A good example of this is a person I used to work with. You go to their house and the kids are running crazy. No control, yelling, throwing thing, etc... I am trying to talk to this person about a problem we are having at work, and can barely get a sentence out before one of the kids runs up and interrupts us. At one point a toy, and not even a small one, flew over and hit him in the head then broke a glass. At this point I could not contain myself, and asked why he did not do anything. His response sticks with me today... "They are just kids, what am I supposed to do?" Now for the bomb. These "Kids" were about 11 and 12 respectively. Old enough to know better, but with parents that are either too lazy or too irresponsible to discipline them. At that age though, even if the parents decided to start, the kids are too far along to do anything about.

Too affraid to discipline -
One of the things that prevents a lot of parents, these days, from turning junior over their knee and giving them a good paddling are two things... 1. Well meaning but nosey teachers that think that any time a child says that they were paddled means that they are abused, and 2. Kids that play the system and report that they were beaten when in reality they were not and are just trying to retaliate for the fact that they were punished.

In California especially, it is too easy to be arrested for child abuse, and there have been several cases where parents are questioned for and even detained for child abuse, when all they did was punish their child. The system is TOO quick to go after a parent for potential abuse, and not investigate the claim carefully first.

This is not to say that there are very valid claims out there, but spanking your child in not abuse, not even close. There is nothing wrong with a good spanking, as long as the person giving the spanking is not doing it out of anger... then it CAN go to far.

Maybe a child might think twice about uttering some colorful language if the next time they drop that f-bomb or s-bomb, they get popped really good in the mouth, or maybe have to take a teaspoon of Dawn (Dishwashing liquid).

I said earlier that I did not cuss when I was a kid... well, that was not entirely true. See, when I was about 14 years old, and was begining to think I was smarter that my mom... like most 14 year olds do, I told my mother to "Go F*** yourself." Next thing I know I was on the floor, holding the side of my face. Yes... I learned my lesson, and NO... I never said it, or anything remotely like it to her again.

I have nothing against the use of OCCASIONAL use of some foul language... it is a good was to vent, but there are places and times for it. It should not be a regular part of your vocabulary.

So to the people who do use foul language as a regular part of their daily dialogue, try to act like you have some education, even if you do not. Find a better way to express your opinions.