Do you say 'Shut up' to your kids?

[Spidermama]

Honestly now. Do you? In what circumstances?

and, yes, "otherwise" is one word......

I do, when I've used up every ounce of patience and ds is nagging me or asking for the umpteenth time or yelling at me. It's not the first thing I say to him, usually only snap after he's made a series of demands and is running me ragged. I'm not perfect, far from it.

honestly, I reckon it would be easier and less stressful to be making calls on my mobile in the car, whilst simultaneously applying my lipstick, than trying to drive with the kids bickering

Shut up is forbidden in our house but I can say SHHHHH in a really scary voice. Also Oh FGS you are driving me INSANE. So not much better really.

have occasionally said "Shut yer beak", "Put a sock in it", "'Oppit", "Pull the other one, it's got bells on it" and "Oi!" to mine as well. They seem OK on it

I love 'Pea-sized! Pea-sized!'

Fantastic.

Put a sock in it is my comedy phrase. The kids love it and it does mostly work, but I still admit I use shut up a lot more often.

4 kids here, aged between 4 and 10 so getting a bit older than some maybe, and a stressed mum too!

Oh, and "Gertcha". I use that one a lot

Get them gameboys Califrau. That sometimes shuts mine up, oh excuse me, quietens mine down!

So what kind of children do smug people breed?

Apart from only children, that is

I think I have. It's very rude and I don't think it's ok to say it at all.

Oh, yes, I definitely have because I remember ds saying how rude I was and that I had hurt his feelings

Nothing against only children btw - I know some lovely ones - was just yanking her chain

JustUsTwo, yes I think you are right. I don't see that as a criticism. I come from a very loud, opinionated, forthright family - mealtimes round our table were quite intimidating experiences for guests sometimes - and I want my children to be equally loud, opinionated and forthright. I see those characteristics as qualities.

That doesn't mean I want to hear them all the time though!

no it's usually
Shut the F*CK up

Or

Shut you f*ckin mouth

I do, but am trying not to, as I can't really tell them off for saying it to each other if I do it too.
Maybe it's more common with older children. I'm sure I never told them to shut up when they were preschool, but now, well, they need telling occasionally!

I love the pea sized patience...I'll be giving that a try I think.

Have now read thread:

"Another parenting low"

Blimey Spider if that is one of your real lows I think you are doing pretty damn well

I wonder how old the children are of the posters who never say it. I agree it sounds appalling, and I loathe hearing it, but have certainly said it on many more occasions than I should. I always thought I'd never let them eat french loaf in the supermarket or play with plastic toys - but life intervenes.
Have also: said Fuck in front of them, allowed them to eat macdonalds, drink coke, watch lots of shite tv, smacked them once or twice, and probably a million other mn sins.
But most of the time I don't, and that's what counts IMO.

"Loud people breed loud children" on the whole I agree, the people opposite where I live swear and fight constantly. However their kids are frightened rabbits at home, can't move for doing wrong, but little buggers at school etc. I am loud, my job is loud and full on (I teach littlies) BUT I can be quiet at home and be realistic too. Sometimes you need to be loud and stop stuff from happening. I try not to yell but when four kids are telling you their opinion on the fight in progress it's hard not to yell "SHUT UPPPPPP".

I wouldn't yell it at littlies but try telling teens not to shout it at each other.......dream on.

Of course I do sometimes when goaded..(huffs inpatiently). I'm human, so are my children. The hmc household is generally a happy convivial one, and nobody has two heads!

My oldest is almost ten so I have never said it for nearly a decade. But I am sure I have said equally awful things - it is just that I have forbidden them to say it to each other so I have to be really careful not to say it myself.