To hate it when people swear in front of young children?

[Runny]

Namely their own young children? It makes toes curl!

Just popped into my local Chinese takeaway. Also waiting was a young couple with a little boy who must have been aged around 4/5. Im not joking when I say every single word was 'fuck' this and 'fuck' that. Just in general conversation even when speaking to and telling off their little boy, who wasn't misbeahing as such was just getting a bit over excited. Even telling him to 'stop fucking running around'.

There is just no need for it, it's so uncouth and shows a blatant lack of self control. Now don't get me wrong I can swear with the best of them, but I never ever swear in front of children of any age. Never have and never will. The worst I ever heard my parents say growing up was 'bloody'. It's becoming more common, I even heard a mother telling her daughter to 'get in the fucking car' outside the local school the other week.

AIBU to think these people should learn some self control?

I was merely pointing out that swearing is not about being "uneducated" or "classless"

None of the snobbery on this thread is coming from me!

"Konyaa

The number of comments about class and classlessness on this thread + the number of grammatical errors is enormously ironical"
Are we allowed to comment on that?
I await the arrival of the Mumsnet "sweary brigade", with interest!!

YANBU, swearing shows a lack of vocab and in front of children is truly awful as adults are supposed to lead by example.

I don't disagree but I grew up with a very sweary Dad and as a result have to work really hard not to swear in certain circumstances as it can just pop out.

I hate it when people swear at children, as it's aggressive and awful. But swearing around them, well, it's their choice I guess.

My kids have picked up any swears they know from me but would never dream of using them. I do have a son with asd who went through a prolific swearing phase-it was like being with my Dad again.

Yes I agree there's a huge difference between swearing at children vs swearing around them.

"I hate it when people swear at children, as it's aggressive and awful. But swearing around them, well, it's their choice I guess"

Swearing around children or in their presence us equally abhorrent.

...is equally...

Really Cara?

So saying "Fuck off you stupid bitch" to a 3 year old is on the same level as saying "I fucking love cheese" in front of said 3 year old?

If so, based on the second example I should have been taken into care.

Yanbu!

A child in my sons year 1 class so 5-6 years old, told my son to 'fuck off dick head' right in front of me! My jaw hit the floor and my son didn't have a clue what it meant. Realised he'd learned from his parents when his mum came storming over and said I've told you before not to fucking swear!

"iamadaftcoo

Yes I agree there's a huge difference between swearing at children vs swearing around them."

When I read the above, I actually thought you had forgotten this

Eh?

I can't get worked up about swearing around children. I work in the kind of industry where swearing is endemic (usually affectionate) and it's hard to switch off at home. DCs never swear.

Thought you were being sarcastic. As far as I am concerned swearing around children or to them or at them are equally horrible.

Better?

Is?

I disagree. See example above.

I think people need to learn to swear properly. An appropriately-used "fuck" or "cunt" can defuse a tense situation or add humour to a minor annoyance (eg "there's always some cunt who tries to take loads of items into the 10-items-or-less queue"). I agree that many people do not know how to use these words properly and it sometimes shows a lack of imagination but it is an unfair generalisation to say it automatically shows the user "lacks class" or "has a poor vocabulary" - that says more about the lack of imagination of the person expressing the view than it does about the person issuing the expletive.

I would not use "fuck" or "cunt" around children gratuitously, but if the need or opportunity arises then I don't see any need to hold it back. I can assure you that by the age of five most children will have heard these words from their friends!

The best way to take away the shock or offence caused by these words is to use them more regularly. Children like these words precisely because they are (mostly) told that they are not allowed to use them.

Ultimately if you are offended by "fuck" or "cunt" then that is your problem. Personally there are many words I find more offensive, which are overheard all the time, eg "tumour" or "puke" or "chav" or "special needs" or "disablist" or "glamping" (no doubt some clever d--k will find a sentence where they can use all those words to annoy me). People have the right to say them though so I leave them to it... maybe chucking in the odd "cunt" in passing!

Meh.

"iamadaftcoo

I disagree. See example above."

Cool. Doesn't make it right though...

I'm with Konyaa and iamadaftcoo!

Yes but is it really as bad??

Sensible post from snatched

YANBU. I had DD in the trolley at Asda the other day and two lads in their early twenties were in the kids aisle (nappies and wipes) rattling out the c-word and f-word like there's no tomorrow. I moved out the way til they left. I don't think the world should bow down to my child or anything but it's just common courtesy to watch your language when little ones are nearby.

But why, cherry?

Most kids only pay attention to said swear words when adults look shocked and tell them not to repeat them.

Swear words were never "naughty" to me so I never felt much allure in saying them iyswim.

I agree with SnatchedPencil too. The word snatch is amazing.

FWIW I am both "low class" and university educated with a very large vocabulary.

I think Larry Lamb said it perfectly on Jungle: You are a middle class snob.

The snobbery and references to class are ridiculous.

I try not to swear in front of the ds's. once a man cut my up really badly on a roundabout and I shouted "fucking hell, you knob". The boys said "mummy". ""Sorry boys, sorry" I said. Now I think about it, I think it's quite funny.