How “well behaved” are you in front of your children?

[workwoes123]

I recently started having zoom sessions with one of my oldest best friends. We were together at uni, and for years after, then drifted a bit when I moved abroad, had kids etc. It’s been great fun catching up with her - but I’m kind of shocked at how she behaves in front of her children (young teens). She’s usually in the family room, and I see her kids wandering in and out. She swears like a trooper, tells really outrageous stories / reminisces from our past - mostly getting drunk / stoned and shagging dodgy blokes, gets a bit pissed - all in front of her kids. I feel like a total prude by comparison - i go off to a private room, wear headphones etc. She was always a bit wild, and I know she’s always been really open with her children about drinking, taking drugs.

DH and I… we drink wine with dinner and get a bit pissed if we have friends over for lunch. But we don’t generally swear, and we definitely don’t share detailed stories of our drunken student antics!

How well behaved are you in front of your kids?

As DD is now 25, we only moderate our behaviour when DGS isn't present. Although he recently remarked "oh no, not the bloody ice cream man again", so somebody's slipped up

I swear in front of my kids (8&5) - usually at the fucking dogs.

8 year old finds it hilarious
5 year old disapproves

DH tells them about all the mad stuff he and his brother got up to as kids (jumping off the garage roof etc. setting fire to their farts that kind of stupidity). They are too young to hear of our teenage/young adult antics yet but we probably will tell them at some point (I don't actually have many stories to tell, DH on the other hand....)

Ifs fun to tell your kids funny stories from your life.

I can’t get away with anything in front of my dd 5yo, she tells my dad so now l shout oh you biscuit in the car and say what the flump. She had a better glare than me and is always tidying up after me if l leave a cup she puts it in the sink under the guise of helping, it’s like living with my mother. My ds 9 yo is my partner in crime, we have snacks together once dd is in bed and l drink wine around him and watch tv with swearing in, he laughs his head off and knows what biscuit and flump mean. I am sure she will come around.

We tried not swearing round the kids when they were little, but as I can't swear much in work, I have to explode at home. Dh is worse than me though. Ds has, I'm informed by his mates, a good repertoire of swear words. Which is just as well, given the school I'm sending him to. He knows when to code switch though. And that he can't swear in front of us, because it sounds too forced.
Dd doesn't use them.

Behaviour wise... I don't tell them all my stories yet, as they're too young. But I probably will.

I occasionally swear and we listen to music with swear words in - DC know it's swearing and they shouldn't say it at school / at their friends' houses, even when it's not in English.

We get a little bit tipsy but not full on drunk in front of them. They just roll their eyes!

I always try and be honest and open with them, so they have probably heard a few stories from my student days, but they don't know I used to take Es etc and I don't think it's something I want them to know just yet.

I swear around mine occasionally but don't use sexual language like 'coco' etc. Find that icky.
Kids know not to repeat adult words, no big deal

I've never sworn in front of DC, don't listen to music with swearing in front of them either. I got into the habit when they were little so it's not been difficult. I've been roundly mocked for this before but it's the truth.

So very proper till they were fifteen then all fucking bets were off.

We try to be ourselves in front of the children, swearing and all but they're still young so it hasn't been a problem yet. My parents were the kind who didn't, they were very proper and things like natural bodily functions or sex were taboo and I want a much more natural and relaxed atmosphere for my children to grow up in.

I’m the same in front on my D.C. as when they are not there. I don’t drink or swear. (Please don’t ban me)

Omg

Please tell me what the hell coco means??

I think it's really important for dc to see parents having fun.

However.. Talking about shaggjng is a step to far and definitely not other men!!

@Brighterblighter

Omg

Please tell me what the hell coco means??

I think it's really important for dc to see parents having fun.

However.. Talking about shaggjng is a step to far and definitely not other men!!

That should be cock lmao

Autocorrect censoring me there!

The children have seen us drinking, but we don’t swear in front of them and never have. (Apart from the day when we were in a car crash).