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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

so now i need to know if heck is a swear word

40 replies

violet79 · 11/10/2011 17:12

so it seems i made an error...my younger son was in fact not told off for saying the word bloody...it was the word heck...
i was just having a heart to heart with him about not saying bloody anymore...and i asked why he said it at school...and he said that he didnt say or get told off for saying bloody...it was for saying the word heck...aparently he said oh heck ...and he was just pointing out that the kids were saying he shouldnt say the word bloody and getting the 2 stories mixed up.
surely heck couldnt possibly be a swear word! ...let alone tell off-able??? o.O

OP posts:
DontCallMeBaby · 11/10/2011 17:17

No, not a swear word! It's a stand-in for hell which some people might be offended by, but if he can't use it he should also refrain from gosh, crikey, crumbs, sugar ... or 'oh my giddy aunt', which is one of DD's favourites.

Kayano · 11/10/2011 17:17

You make ME think BLOODY HECK lol

He got told off for bad language, even if you don't class it as bad, others, especially in a school environment might think it's bad and deal with accordingly.

Kid got told off, it's not that big of a deal Hmm

honeylamb · 11/10/2011 17:18

Heck a swear word?? no chance!

worraliberty · 11/10/2011 17:18

There's little point really in a thread discussing the yes/no of the word heck being used in school until you actually speak to the School.

I mean, think about how much discussion there was because you thought your child had been told off for using the word Bloody.

He got mixed up last time...he might also be mixed up this time so really if it bothers you, you're better speaking to the school

squeakytoy · 11/10/2011 17:18

Heck isnt a swear word.... sounds suspiciously like Fuck though... and I cant say I have ever heard a kid say Heck... Grin

valiumredhead · 11/10/2011 17:19

I googled and apparently it is an alteration of 'hell' or a combination of hell and fuck. I don't know...

Original poster
violet79 · 11/10/2011 17:25

aqhh noo...i asked him over and over if he said bloody heck and he said it was deffo oh heck...and to be fair ive heard him say this loads...but never bloody heck ...when he (rarely) says bloody ...its about an object.,..not an exclaimation

OP posts:
redexpat · 11/10/2011 17:25

No it's not. I think they must have misheard him.

Original poster
violet79 · 11/10/2011 17:27

worral...
i just wanted a light hearted banter, i am simply wandering...im sure its ok to wander and ask opinions here...in fact it seems to be the point.

OP posts:
CogitoErgoSometimes · 11/10/2011 17:27

If he got told off it was not for saying 'heck'.... Let it go this time but tell him that you'll be very annoyed if it happens again.

Original poster
violet79 · 11/10/2011 17:28

squeakytoy...i have to admit when i typed it i did think it reminded me of the word fuck lol!

OP posts:
worraliberty · 11/10/2011 17:29

Yes of course it's ok to 'wonder' but it's just a waste of everyone's time if you don't make it clear you haven't bothered to ask the school if he was actually told of for saying 'heck'.

Original poster
violet79 · 11/10/2011 17:30

valiumredhead...
i had a look ...seen a few posts...it seems aww shucks is a combination of shit and fuck...
but other sites seemed to put heck in a list of child friendly curses...
but its probably true...like saying shugar

OP posts:
pinkgirlythoughts · 11/10/2011 17:31

I remember my mum telling me off for saying heck when I was about five or six....

Mind you, around the same time, she also told me that 'stupid' was a swear word Hmm

Original poster
violet79 · 11/10/2011 17:32

worral...honestly ...i asked my son ...hes not a liar and if he does tell a porky i can tell...he wasnt getting anything out of telling me he said it. i dont think i need background evidence to post a casual thread.

OP posts:
valiumredhead · 11/10/2011 17:34

Maybe it was the context in which he said it that was inappropriate and not what he actually said iyswim?

Original poster
violet79 · 11/10/2011 17:36

pinkgirlythoughts...
thats the age of my son...ill let heck go ...but if they start telling him off for saying 'stupid' i think i may have something to say about that one lol!...unless hes calling someone stupid.

OP posts:
Bossybritches22 · 11/10/2011 17:36

Some Conservative Christian Americans believe "heck" to be a swearword, as it is often used for "hell" which is a big no-no.

I learnt the hard way when I said nonchalantly over there " bloody hell" at a near miss in the car. it was the Hell not the bloody that did it. Hmm

Is the teacher from the US maybe?

Kayano · 11/10/2011 17:37

But your son also told you it was bloody.

Worral is not calling your son but he has already been mistaken once.

I can't believe the drams about him getting told off. Kids get told off for using inappropriate words! It's not a shocking conspiracy and no one is calling your son a liar Hmm

Original poster
violet79 · 11/10/2011 17:38

valiumredhead...
possibly...i would go with dontcallmebaby on it being the same as gosh , sugar and crikey though...tbh i think it makes him sound like a little old man!

OP posts:
Bugsy2 · 11/10/2011 17:38

If he was told off for saying "oh heck" it sounds a bit OTT. However, i would definitely not go into talk to the school about it. I'd just think the teacher was having an uptight day & tell DS it was bad luck.

valiumredhead · 11/10/2011 17:40

I'm not a fan of kids cursing full stop even if it is mild tbh - which is a bit rich as I can swear like a trooper out of their ear shot Grin

Ds went through a stage of saying ' What the ...' and no, while technically he wasn't swearing as he wasn't saying fuck it was certainly said in the same manner and so I banned him saying it ( well, at home anyway, I'm sure he says it in the playground! Grin)

worraliberty · 11/10/2011 17:42

Exactly Kayano

OP what I'm saying is, you could well spend endless hours wondering and discussing the word 'heck' on this thread.

Surely it's far better to simply pick up the phone, find out from the school if he did say it...and most importantly in what context if it bothers you?

For example, if he said to a teacher "What the heck is that?" he would probably be told to mind his manners. If he really did say "Oh heck" it's very unlikely he was told off (imo)

Original poster
violet79 · 11/10/2011 17:43

kayano...noooo....
the whole "bloody" thing was blown out of proportion...i had just overheard my kids talking about getting told off for saying the word bloody when they were talking ammongst themselves...out of curiosity i googled it as id not really known it to be a bad word...i found an old thread where someone else thought the same thing...i absentmindedly commented on it that i dont think bloodys a swear word either and a whole world of hell ensued...yes i posted that my kids were getting told off...but that was from evesdropping on my kids and quickly asking my son did you say bloody and get told off for saying a bad word...he said yes..then went off to play...turns out he was saying yes to both points as when i spoke to him he said that he was talking about bloody cos his school friends were telling him that he cant say it and the bad word he got told off for was heck.

OP posts:
Original poster
violet79 · 11/10/2011 17:46

worral...i really am not bothered about what the school thinks...yuo already know my view on THEM ...i actually just wondered what other mums think...if this is gonna turn into another thread like the last one you posted on of mine im abandoning ship ...i just wanted to have a chat about it :S

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