To not like to hear children say oh my god?

[carabos]

NDN's DSs are playing outside and as usual they are directing operations within the group of kids from the street who are also out.

Several times now I've heard one or other of them say "oh my god, are you thick?" or " oh my god that was close" etc (they're playing football).

AIBU to think that using that sort of phrase age 8 isn't acceptable? I'm not religious btw.

"YANBU, it's teaching them that it's OK to disrespect those with other beliefs."

But by forbidding it you're teaching them it's okay to disrespect those with no beliefs at all.

Why is someone's belief in God more important than someone else's non-belief or someone's multi-theistic belief?

There is no right or wrong here. Only opinion.

I would agree that 'are you thick' is a much worse thing to say.

It doesn't bother me, and I am suprised that so many people seem bothered by it!

"But by forbidding it you're teaching them it's okay to disrespect those with no beliefs at all."

I don't think so - they're not cursing non-belief by saying nothing, are they?

But why shouldn't they, or I, be allowed to use whatever word they want just because some people have given that word immense significance?

I guess what I am really trying to say is, why do we need to respect someone else's belief? They probably don't respect mine.

Especially if we are talking about the CoE and it's announcement in the past week.

I don't like it at all, I constantly tell children to say 'oh my goodness' or similar . I don't like it if adults use it either (although I am probably too passive to say anything'. I don't like any blasphemy or swearing.

I am always reminded of a situation in which a child at playschool used the F word - I said something like 'we don't use that word', she said, 'why not, my mum always says it' - she was only 4 .

Pondering... is "Oh God!" worse than "Oh my god!" then, for those that say it's disrespecting someone else's beliefs? As it is it is my god, surely I can invoke him/her/it as I wish? And asking me not to say "Oh my god" is actually disrespecting me...

Fwiw, I try not to say "Oh my god" in front of the kids. "Oh lord..." does slip out though. Am non-religious but grew up in religious household where "Oh lord" or the full version "Oh lord, give me strength!" was oft said.

but when most of the families (whole families) that I know that use it a lot are christian, its not disrespecting other people's beliefs, its a reference to their own, its just using god in everyday language.

I would imagine if it offends anyone it should be people who DON'T believe in god

If it were used rarely in actually shocking situations I wouldn't mind as much, but it's the way 95% of people who say it punctuate their sentences and make it sound demented.

Oh my God, I missed the post. Oh Jesus Christ now I have to go to the post office, for God's sake. Oh my God I have to go to Tesco as well.

Common and crass.

I wouldn't let my DS describe people as "common"

lol @ common

LOL @someone who think that saying 'oh my god' is common

Really, do you mean that. My mother always said there's only one type of person who calls others common...

What is so offensive about saying 'oh my god' anyway?

Please enlighten me?

Totally agree with others who say calling somebody thick is worse.

I wasn't horribly keen on my 5yo asking me "mummy what's a fuckwit?"

That will teach me to read MN when he's in the room!

Children pick up words here and there. We can generally reroute the language our own children use, but not usually someone else's children. Not much can be done, really.

Why is "on my God" offensive? People talk as if it's a given that it offends, but why?

lol at 'what's a fuckwit'

good point re 'god' not necessarily being directed against any one person's religion (as if an 8 year old would have any real concept of offending anyone's god or religion anyway) so anyone clutching their pearls and taking offence is probably BU.

I really do think the reason it sounds odd and annoying is because it's too adult an expletive for a small child.

Cos it's disrespectful to God, or people with a Christian faith. Whether or not you have a religious faith, it's good to show respect for the beliefs of others

"My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?" (Psalm 21:2)

Jesus said it twice, so if it's good enough for him...

But how is it disrespectful?

What about the statement 'oh my god' is disrepectful?

FWIW, the people I know who say 'jesus fucking christ' and 'holy mary mother of god' are all Catholics (my mums entire, large Irish Catholic family)

They don't seem bothered.

It would bother me enormously in a child. Don't like it much in an adult

It's historically perceived as a bad thing to do because it breaks the commandment about not taking the Lord's name in vain.

Either you're not a believer, in which case, why invoke a God you don't believe in, or you are, in which case, why use the holy Name in such a casual way? I wouldn't use an altarcloth to clean the toilet either.

I'm an atheist myself.

Hmmmm, how about its just become an expression of surprise, shock, dismay etc..

Language does evolved you know and largely speaking, we are not really a Christian country any more now are we?

Not that I say this, I just can't see the fuss myself.

Would be more irritate to hear somebody insult another person than to hear somebody take the lord's (who I don't believe in anyway) name in vain

No, don't get it. What do you mean not take the Lord's name in vain? You are assuming people know the backstory, the historical reasons, when it's often no more than a verbal tick, like 'you know' or 'like'. Perhaps irritating but hardly nasty minded.

:) DamnBmboo. -on similar lines.

Can't say I'd be keen although I've never heard either of them say it.

I did hear DD(3) say "I can't shut this bloody door" so I'm thinking my battles lie elsewhere.

"Cos it's disrespectful to God, or people with a Christian faith."

Well if you're going to use that reasoning, it should be disrespectful to anyone who believes in any kind of god, not just a Christian one.

But really you have to take it in context, it's very unlikely that a small child is going out to disrespect anyone's 'god'. It's annoying because it's too adult an expression for them to be using.