The F-Bomb Debacle

For the umpteenth time, I will clarify... I am not a prude.

I suppose I have a few conservative views on things, but if you know me, you know I'm not a prude.  I think I make my stances on many topics very clear, but this one has been making me think lately.

When I hear someone use profanity, the context is usually what either makes my jaw drop, makes my eyes pop, makes me cringe or I just go with the flow.  Here are a couple instances I am referring to.

1) Casual conversation.  If my close friends swear, it doesn't really bother me.  I know that just like saying like... I was like so mad... so like when we were outside... I'm like 99% positive that he is HIV positive.. it becomes a habit.  I don't fault them for it unless they are being loud in public around strangers... then I try to hide my face.

2) On the job.  I would never swear on the job.  My mama taught me better!  LOL.  I'm sure it matters what job it is.  For instance, I work with mostly freshmen in college and to me they are still young and impressionable.  Therefore I like to provide a profanity-free environment.  I think I'm fun and that they like me (so the suck ups say) and I can do that without swearing.  I know there are jobs where it's not taboo.  If you work with other adults, they can handle it.

3) Around children. Now this is where I lose the friends and make people hate me.  I really don't think you should swear around children of any age.  Being a role model is what shapes these little IDs into developing their SUUUUUUUPERego.  Unless you want your kid to be a potty mouth, keep your potty mouth zipped.  Let's have a little tact, folks.

I am not the anti-profanity preacher here.  I love language and its various uses, but I think profanity should be like exclamation points... emphatic, but if you use it too much it becomes pointless.  I can recall instances when someone has used profanity in front of me and it was so unexpected it rattled my cage a wee bit.  I had never heard it from that person before, so I was caught off guard.

I am not perfect.  But here's the thing... when I drop an F bomb, you know it's about to go down, Charlie Brown.  I have to be super angry to let that fly and I tend to only reserve this for my husband... because I don't want anyone else to think I'm a potty mouth.  I also occasionally let the SHIZ hit the fan when I forget something, stub my toe, etc.  If my kids have heard any word from me, it's probably that.

This little thought tidbit I am sharing with you probably takes root in my own upbringing.  As a child we were unable to even say the word "butt."  To do so was grounds for quite the verbal backlash.  Although as we got older we used potty words with our friends, we knew better than to use them at home.  I recall one time my sister was in high school and she told me to go to Hell.  I tattled on her and my dad informed me that it was a place, not a bad word.

So thank you to my conservative parents who taught me that it's only okay to use profanity when you are yelling at the TV during a football game.  I am pretty okay with this life lesson.