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Original poster

awful language from toddler.

26 replies

mrsout · 29/08/2008 20:48

PLease please tell me what to do. My DD is 2, and has picked up an awful awful word from her older brother and his mates. I am devistated. She starts play school next week what if she says it there? She has been on naughty step after saying it, shouted at, ignored, all the usual. I am so embarrassed. PLease tell me how to make her stop!

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SqueakyPop · 29/08/2008 20:49

I would be embarrassed too.

Lazarou · 29/08/2008 20:51

Just ignore it and talk about something else. she's only 2, she doesn't understand, don't shout at her!

RubySlippers · 29/08/2008 20:52

think a teensy over reaction

she has NO idea it is a bad word

toddlers repeat everything and playschool will have heard it and worse

not work being devestated over IMO

just ignore it

AMumInScotland · 29/08/2008 20:53

Don't worry, play school will have heard it before. Unless her conversation is a string of four-letter words, they won't be judging you for it

verylapsedrunner · 29/08/2008 20:54

I've been there, but perhaps a little older than 2 (no older siblings). At the time just explain that it is not "nice". After that just hope that she gets so tied up in starting nursery that she forgets

squeaver · 29/08/2008 20:55

Ignore ignore ignore. No matter how difficult you think it is. She's getting lots of attention for saying it. She'll stop when she doesn't get attention.

Lazarou · 29/08/2008 20:55

I also think a 2 year old is far too young to be put on the friggin 'naughty step'

damn that bloody frost woman

Original poster
mrsout · 29/08/2008 20:57

I called into the garden for her to come in for her bath. She said "No mummy. You uckin dick." She knows exactly how to use the words. Everyone is a uckin dick right now,according to her. She is 2. Im so ashamed. I have 4 days to stop this.

OP posts:
Heated · 29/08/2008 21:01

There's not much you can do about an alert 2yr old picking up bad language if they're hearing it at home; they soak up info like a sponge. Ignore it as others have said, also get the older sibling in line.

I'm guessing if your other dc is using bad language they are a teenager and teenagers can be pretty reasonable if you appeal to their responsible side e.g. You know XX adores you and copies everything you do. Don't swear in front of her.

madamy · 29/08/2008 21:02

Seriously, just carry on ignoring and tell the play school what she's doing and ask them to ignore too. TBH, I doubt she'll use it there - I've found it's more to make an impact at home.
If it make's you feel any better, I went through a phase of dd1 saying fck and fcking sake but it doesn't last long if you ignore.

LynetteScavo · 29/08/2008 21:03

Ignore and make sure she doens't hear it agian. Have a words with her older brother, to make sure he doens't say it around her. (I imagine his mates would find it incredibly funny to hear her )

She's much less likely to say it at pre-school than home. (I think!)

Original poster
mrsout · 29/08/2008 21:05

thankfully my DSS is ony here weekends, but my middle Ds aged 5 laughs when ever she says it so yes, she loves that reaction.

OP posts:
squeaver · 29/08/2008 21:06

Mrsout - my dd went through about a week of saying "fuck" when she wasn't yet 2. AND she said it in context e,g if she dropped something she said "oh fuck".

It's distressing and I told her off, tried to get her to say something else etc etc and the ONLY thing that worked was ignoring it. HONESTLY, it's the only way to do it.

hellymelly · 29/08/2008 21:07

I think every parent goes throught this at some point,my husband,(when a toddler)said f**k to an archbishop...I am waiting for the day when ours come out with something similar.actually dd1 did say the f word but she was very small(18m) and I ignored it and then repeated the sentence back to her using "stuck" instead,she hasn't said it since,although she says "bloomin'" all the time.

squeaver · 29/08/2008 21:07

And stop beating yourself up about it.

Original poster
mrsout · 29/08/2008 21:10

Thanks, glad Im not the only one! Will try to ignore, and maybe warn play school. Thought it was bad enough before when she said "oh my god!" All the time. But I have to take responsibility for that one!

OP posts:
Tryharder · 30/08/2008 00:09

My DP has been letting DS1 (aged 3) listen to music downloaded on his laptop. DP likes black music including rap. DS1 now dances round the house singing one song - lyrics go something like "this one is for all my n*ggers..." Have told DS1 that the song actually says 'diggers'. Am scared to death that DS1 will start singing this at playgroup. DP has been warned that if we get summoned to the nursery to explain our son's racist language then he is the one going.... DP is seriously worried and has now deleted offending track from his playlist... We'll laugh about this in 20 years time....

BTW, I am white but DP is black and DS1 is mixed race (obviously) - dont know if this makes racist language any more or less acceptable....

nappyaddict · 30/08/2008 01:47

i think (correct me if i'm wrong) it is ok for black/mixed race people to use the word nigger but not a white person. in fact i would say it is ok for a white person to call a black person it if they knew that person used it aswell and wouldn't mind. in the same sort of jokey way people might refer to someone as their bitch?

solidgoldbrass · 30/08/2008 02:06

Try not to worry. ANyone with any sense knows that toddlers are imitative (hear word, repeat) and also love saying things that get all the adults tearing round in a squawking panic.
ANyone who thinks there is something seriously wrong with either your child or your parenting because your child comes out with a choice expletive or two is a fuckwit themselves.

rubyloopy · 01/09/2008 08:36

Message withdrawn

gagarin · 01/09/2008 08:54

You need to deal with the teenager who said the word in front of a tot!

And ignore any repetition from your lo. It'll fade from memory fast.

The only way it'll stay is if everytime you hear it you leap about and look panicked. Then it'll become part of a toddler wind up routine

Poshpaws · 01/09/2008 09:03

Sorry nappyaddict, I have to correct you.

I and most other Black people I know, do not think that 'nigger' is an acceptable term, whether meant 'affectionately' or not. A lot of young Black men use it without any real kmnowledge of its history or connotations. And as for other groups using it.....

Not angry at you, but I find this 'myth' rather irritating.

To the op, yes, just ignore the 'bad' word that your dd is using, as others have said.

JaceyBee · 02/09/2008 15:33

My son is starting school tomorrow and I am worried that he is gonna come out with something bad, he swears so casually at home (mostly just craps and bloodys but still) that it might just pop out, even though he's been warned that he will be in big trouble with the school if he does. His cousin told another child to f-off in the playground on his very first day and SIL was summoned to the headmaster Bet they've already got ds's card marked due to same surnames.

desperatehousewifetoo · 02/09/2008 16:15

My cousin had same problem with her dd.

She introduced the very bad swear word 'purpleblob'. Dropped it into the conversation around her dd and then acted as though it was the worse word she could have said.

It didn't take long for her dd to stop saying whatever swear word she had used and start to say 'purpleblob' instead.

When your dc is old er you can have the conversation that those words are rude and that you do not want to hear them again.

My ds, when he was 6yrs, used the f-word, he didn't realise it was rude and has never used it again since I told him not to. Luckily, he doesn't have any teenage siblings to use them around him!

desperatehousewifetoo · 02/09/2008 16:17

Perhaps you could get your teenage dc to use it too