Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

3 year old picked up a swear word

187 replies

dadadadathatslife · 30/07/2017 19:08

My DS 3 just said "fuck sake"

I actually feel like the worst mother in the world.

Please cheer me up and tell me other things your children have said/done that's made you cringe.

Also, how do you get them to stop saying it???

OP posts:
supermoon15 · 31/07/2017 16:23

I was mortified when my daughter was first learning to talk and I heard her say 'fucking trolls'. I had words with my OH and asked him to at least try and keep his language a bit sweeter. He insisted that he had not called anything or anyone a fucking troll. It took a few days to realise that she had been watching a lot of Thomas and was actually saying 'fat controller'. She has since picked up and repeated some genuine big words- I find it is best to try not to react otherwise it will be their new favourite word!

sharklovers · 31/07/2017 16:27

You could at least correct him, the expression is "for fuck's sake" Smile

PeppaPigObsession · 31/07/2017 16:44

DD, 2. A few weeks ago picked up the word "gay"

It's the first time she's ever copied a word I've said. I was talking to a friend about some other friends of ours who are gay.

She still proudly walks round the local supermarket calling random people "gay", 3 weeks later Hmm

HungerOfThePine · 31/07/2017 16:55

Dc us now 7 and doesn't swear or occasionally picks up a word and I will just tell her she can't use it as it's rude and she just accepts it but when she was around 2 yrs old I picked her up from back of the bus and went to get off and for some reason she thought it a god time to loudly exclaim shit,shit,shit,shit the whole length of the busBlush. 2nd time older she splashed water on herself repeatedly and said fucks sake. Was hilarious and we took a video of it but since then no any incidences

Flowersinyourhair · 31/07/2017 17:02

This thread just makes me sad to be honest. I think some of you need to remember the impressionable kids you have around you and try to restrain yourself a bit. I've never heard my 10 year old swear- I doubt she ever has to be honest. The reason? She's never heard me or her dad swear. There's just no need.

As a teacher in a tough school the swearing sometimes echoes around the building. Kids get sent home for swearing at teachers- often because they haven't learned alternative language and see no problem in telling anyone to fuck off. It is their normal.

pointythings · 31/07/2017 17:11

When DD1 was 17 months old and picking up a multitude of words daily, I got cut up on the road by a car on the way to nursery. I said 'bollocks'. That was all we heard for the next three weeks.

Nursery laughed their heads off, but gently encouraged her not to say it in public...

LakieLady · 31/07/2017 17:13

DP's son was sent to a private prep school at the insistence of DP's ex. When he was still in Year 1, DP was summoned to have a chat with Son's teacher at pick-up time. It transpired that his angelic 5-year old had told another child to "Fuck off". (In his defence, other child had trashed the Mother's Day card he'd just made).

DP gave son a calm little lesson in why we shouldn't swear, some words are very rude etc, teacher seemed quite satisfied and DP thought he'd got away with bringing up a foul-mouthed little shit, when teacher asked Son "And where did you learn this word?"

Son smiled and replied "My dad says it all the time".

DP didn't know whether to laugh, cry or hit him.

ChasingHighs · 31/07/2017 17:15

This thread is not sad,it's funny.

I'm still laughing at 'that fucking skeleton'

QuercusQuercus · 31/07/2017 17:23

I am hanging my head in shame now. If only I had realised that having an F-slip in front of my daughter would lead to her becoming delinquent.

I'm off to have a long think about my darn silly actions.

kitkatspiderrat · 31/07/2017 17:39

i admit i have bad road rage, only gobbing off though.
this week i taught my 4yo dn a new phrase...... you motherfucking cockwomble, she also likes knobjockey........oh well it gets me out of babysitting i suppose Grin

justalittlelemondrizzle · 31/07/2017 17:41

Haha we've all been there. It usually happens at the most inappropriate moments too. I have know idea where they picked it up. Honestly.
My dd is now 9 and although she knew what words she wasn't allowed to say from a young age. She has started saying "what the heck" which makes me cringe.

AhhhhThatsBass · 31/07/2017 17:45

Mine was on the bus with me one day and said at the top of her voice: "Why is that child at the top of the bus making all that fucking noise?". She is 3. She got it from me, I cannot even deny it.
Epic parenting fail. Have had to massively rein in my potty mouth.
It's almost worse that I sniggered, which she saw and subsequently said it a further few times. Not proud of myself at all let's say.
Loving the fuck/fork option - will have to try it.

JennyBlueWren · 31/07/2017 18:03

As a teacher I once had a child report to me that another had sworn. What was worse they'd said the "H" word. Eventually persuaded them they could whisper the word to me. It was "hate"!

My DS (2) has become interested in nipples and just loves to loudly point them out. He told my mum that there were "nipples like on YouTube with daddy!". My husband insists that there were topless males in a music video they watched once.

Dixiestamp · 31/07/2017 18:04

I'm with those who don't think it's 'cute' for toddlers to swear, but have to admit that my almost 10 year old does swear occasionally (not 'really' bad) and I don't always pull him up on it. There are some words he knows he would never say, though! He's at the stage where 12A films that he's allowed to watch are peppered with colourful language, as well as hearing it in the school yard.

Angelicinnocent · 31/07/2017 18:09

Friend of mine has got a puppy and her 4 year old DD delights in telling everyone it's a jackshit (jack Russell cross tshitsu).

I work outdoors and don't wish to offend people so am very careful to watch my language but got yelled at to mind my language over a hedge the other day cos their child was in the garden. Wouldn't care but all I said was "oh nuggets" (favourite expression when my DC were young).

Dailystuck71 · 31/07/2017 18:13

DH had to do an emergency stop when we were out in the car when DS was about 4. Afterwards DS said fuck sake dad, that was close.

Batoutahell · 31/07/2017 18:13

When any of mine swear I just give telegenic a good telling off and tell them those words are for grown ups, like wine is.

They seem to compute that well.

MrsClegane · 31/07/2017 18:36

my son at 2/3 started shouting "twat...twat....granny twat".... I was mortified until I saw him pointing at my mum's cat.... It was then we decided it was time to see if the hv would organise speech therapy lol

PoorYorick · 31/07/2017 19:00

My niece told me this weekend that she knew a swear word. I told her she mustn't say it, especially if it would upset someone. She asked if she could whisper it in my ear. I said all right then (I don't know what I was thinking). She put her mouth right up at my ear and whispered, "Bollocks."

smileygrapefruit · 31/07/2017 19:01

Went to pick nearly 3 yo dd up from childminders and was invited in for "a quick word"... omg I nearly died of shame when she said she'd had to take dd to one side to explain that fuck was a grown up word and she wasn't allowed to say it.

She is now 3.5 and yesterday told me I had "a face like a smacked arse". Thanks DH!!

Luckily, once she is told a word/phrase is not allowed she doesn't repeat it for now anyway, I'm sure we'll enjoy some colourful language as she reaches the teenage years

newfiebullet · 31/07/2017 19:02

this shall pass... mentally kick yourself in the bum,, put a cuss jar near the kettle, and remember that little pitchers have big ears... lol,, before you know it, it will be first day of school!

user1472334322 · 31/07/2017 19:55

I try not to swear around the kids but it obviously hasn't worked at times! Ds1 (now 5) was about 3 when he picked up on my usual curse and decided it was hilarious to say it over and over. Luckily it was bollocks and not something worse!!
I'm a teacher and taught 7-8 year olds for many years. The children did swimming in the summer term and one swimming afternoon I had about half the class on the room as the others were at the pool. One of the boys (who is asd, if that's relevant in any way ) came back in from his lesson, sat down and looked at his socks, on realising they were slightly different colours (one navy and one black) said, very loudly, oh fuck! The intake of breath from the other children and then the silence had me turning away and trying not to laugh out loud! His TA quickly told him he shouldn't say that and distracted him with something else. I was still giggling quietly but trying not to as there was also a parent helper in the room who was quite proper and would not have liked that language at all. Still makes me laugh to this day and it happened about 8 years ago!!

WhoreOfBabyliss · 31/07/2017 20:01

My first word was bugger! Non sweary family too. DMum reckons I heard it from Granny? I didn't hear the eff word until I went to secondary school.

QueenofallIsee · 31/07/2017 20:05

DD aged 3 gravely told a cab driver who said shit that 'it really was more of an 'at home' word. This followed my discussion with her on the day that she was at her most angelic looking and out with my very proper Grandmother and said VERY loudly when she dropped something 'aah, pack of bastards'.

marmaladeforme · 31/07/2017 20:10

I had road rage once and was yelling at a 'fucking wanker' forgot my daughter was in the back and she started parroting me over and over again. Thankfully it was a one off!