To think that 'fart' is NOT a swear word!

[FartingIsntSwearing]

OFSTED came to our school and I had my year 7 books taken in. One homework had been to write about an embarrassing incident and a boy had written about farting in class.

I was told the work in the books was a high standard and so on but inspector was surprised I hadn't 'pulled a child up for swearing in his book.'

Since WHEN was 'fart' a swear word!?

I don't like the word, but when I grew up we "popped", though I think that is a silly word for it. Whilst my dc's are small, they do botty burps or have trumpet trousers, however we tend to focus more on the pardon me than naming what we have all done.

Ofsted being overzealous here methinks.

I always considered it so, until DD started school and seems to be the norm. Shut up, stupid etc. are not acceptable though. I don't especially like it but the alternatives aren't much better either.

Fart is not a rude word in our house. As a result, DS1 is confused when his school friends get a bit giggly and silly about saying it.

I have a friend who was fed up with her boys shouting about farts and laughing - she didn't know how to stop them doing it as the more she told them off, the funnier they found it.

DS1 just doesn't care. If I detect an odour which makes me think DS2 needs a nappy change which turns out to have been emissions from DS1, he'll matter-of-factly comment "I farted" and carry on with whatever he was doing.

Like most posters, fart is just a word. It's fine to use it at home but not to be encouraged to shout it in the street. My DD (6) knows when it's OK to be relaxed about language and when not (I hope!!). DS is only 2, so not really there yet.

DP has IBS and regularly guffaws when asking one of the kids to 'pull my finger'. It does make me chuckle too.

AcrossthePond55 am loving the phrase 'barking spider'. Shall share that gem with DP!

OP - if that's all you've had feedback on - you must be doing things pretty well I think! Well done.

Rachel the thought of you sniffing your baby's nappy while your DS calmly says 'I farted' has really made me laugh. So childish

Nope. It's a bad word in our house! It's just a thoroughly unpleasant word!

Mind you, my Mum used to make us call it a 'Windypoo' which thinking back is worse! And Bogies were 'Dirty Noses'

I don't really care if anyone of any age uses fart, trump, pump, pop, egg, etc. in the playground or other "informal" setting and certainly wouldn't consider any of them swearing.

But in the context of a year 7 essay I do think the writer should have been encouraged to use more formal language such as "broke wind" - the reason OFSTED gave for picking it up was not valid but I think the language used was inappropriate for the setting. The writer probably thought they were being terribly smart and daring.

"Crap" on the other hand I find far worse and would discourage the use of it by children. Not sure why. Perhaps because it can be used as an expletive/exclamation?

Crap isn't terrible but I wouldn't want it in a book.

In the context 'fart' was used it was perfectly correct , unless year 6 boys ask one another 'who broke wind'

I wasn't meant to say it growing up, as per my parents' guidance, but most other people at school said it was ok. I remember a girl getting in serious trouble for giving 'to fart' as an example of a an infinitive verb in grammar class.

With my daughter (4yrs, Primary 1) we have 'at home' words and 'at school' words. Fart is ok to say to me, or her big boy cousins, but not ok to say to old people (my gran) or at school.

I think some of you may need to read this. You'd be horrified. The rest of us would be sipping ourselves.
(Yes, I did say that properly)!

This reminds me of the conversations about what people call their children's genitals.

What I don't understand is that the exercise was to write about something embarrassing. So the very fact that farting is embarrassing is entirely apposite.

when we were little we said 'poof'

household of genies

We say fart. I also turn a blind ear to crap, arse, sod and git unless used to insult someone. They know the difference between home rules and school/public behaviour.

If you have children that like to watch Horrid Henry, you will know Henry uses the word fart all the time.

I used to be on the "not a word we used in this house" side when DD was younger (along with crap), but now she is 10 (yr 6) it just seems ridiculous to be telling her off for saying it. So fart is now an acceptable word although crap will get a frown, but nothing more.

When my kids were really tiny we used windypops but by now (aged 4.6 and 8) they would use the word fart and I wouldn't tell them off. My daughter picked up the phrase "eggy blow" from someone at school....????

Not sure about in an essay though, probably there is something to be said for using more formal language in written work unless it's in speech marks... but definitely not swearing.

Surely we're not the only ones to have read Viz and so 'parp'? Almost sounds quite dignified

It's not a swear word it's just slang but very accepted in everyday speech so no problem in my opinion.

The essay was not a biology class assignment to describe the workings of the human digestive process. It was to recount an embarrassing experience. From what the OP said, it was in dialogue or describing what someone said. So entirely appropriate.

It is not a swear word but it is a horrible word! In our house, I don't encourage mine to use it as I wouldn't say it - not offended, just find it a really unpleasant word. Trump or pass wind is what I would say but I don't find myself having to talk about bodily emissions very often! My sons no doubt use fart amongst themselves. I generally wouldn't expect a Secondary School child to use slang in an essay and I guess I always thought it was a slang word? (am not a teacher or English grad so happy to be corrected!)

I am reminded of a 3/4yr old telling me that they were "knackered" whilst yawning. I was a bit horrified and absent mindedly said "you are tired, that's not a nice word" - her Mum (a great friend of mine of many years) and I had a very lengthy, good natured debate on what are universally unacceptable words vs those open to interpretation. She had no problem with 1)Fart 2)Crap 3)Knackered 4)Ass, from memory (there were more) and thought I was very uptight to object to them being used by children!

In our house its trumpeting or berties. Not sure why. My house is made up of a 27yo old oh and a 2yo. Same mental age. I dont like 'Fart' but wouldn't mind if it is used.

I taught six-yr-olds in Glasgow for many years, and they often cried out, "Miss! Miss! See him? He FARTED!" I always hid a smile and told them to ignore him.

There was a lovely little song they sang up there called Skinny Malinky Long Legs, which they loved to bellow out while waiting in line for the bell.

Skinny Malinky Long Legs and Big Banana Feet
Went tae the pictures and couldnae find a seat.
When the picture started, Skinny Malinky FARTED...

The trouble with me was I found everything far too funny to be able to stop it.

When the children were little we said Fluff or Bottom Burp (3 years old ds1 came up with that)

I've spent years trying to stop them saying fart and I've given up now!! Dh hasn't helped!!!

Although I'm really shit hot on swearing!!! Or rather not swearing...

queen

knackered? whats the problem with that?
I'm in NI and it just means shattered/tired, even my very christian parents and grandparents would say it.