Oh yes! The moment it happens. Your child. That friend’s party. Your utter distress when your child utters those words! Your cheeks flush and you giggle that nervous giggle. “Maybe if I laugh, they’ll laugh too?” Of course most giggle too. They don’t want you to feel badly. Or they’ve been there already. But some do not giggle. Some gather their children as if they just discovered your has a plague. No plague. Just a potty mouth.

Here is where I have to give you full transparency. Moments like these can typically be traced back to my once thinking something was funny. Or worse. Something I once said. Odd how that things are funnier at home than…well…anywhere else! Then again, tone and timing are everything! My hubby and I are less than serious folk. We joke almost constantly with our children. It drew us to each other at one point but we have both been well trained in the art of when, where, and how to say a funny. Out of the mouth of babes…it can sound abysmal.

So we have found ways around this. Slowly but surely we are able to laugh more and offend less. One guide rule we set up for our preteens/teens is to think first, is this appropriate, and then is this funny. I certainly cover this over and over on our way to places where I know there will be no giggles if they get it wrong. So this is an easy technique to follow up on. If they say something inappropriate, I can simply ask, “Was it funny?,” yes, “Was it appropriate?”…blank stare.

For our littler ones we have to scale back to a far more basic bare bones technique. “If it involves your private parts (for some we just say butt), you don’t talk about it to others.” For this we have found consistency is best since they will pretty much scale up outside of the home, whatever they do and say inside the home. If someone is talking poop, pee, or anything the like, I will pull them aside and whisper, “What part of the body is that from?” They will answer the butt, and then I will say, “Do we talk about our butts to others?” They will reply a no. Now I whisper the entire conversation anytime I am covering that which you should not say. It is a way of mirroring that it really should not be said out loud, even by mama. I think it is important to mention that they can talk about those parts with mama and daddy though anytime they need to.

Everyone has different household rules. These are ours and have developed over many years as our family has grown and changed. I used to be super concerned with my child’s body image, that I would not dare set a rule about not speaking about their body. That was cool for a few years but was not a reasonable life choice for us. I do want my children to feel comfortable in their own skin and with their body parts. However, I do not want the general public to be as ok with my children’s body parts.

Whatever you chose for your household rules, try to streamline them to be consistent with your out-of-the house rules. If you are unsure about where to set the boundary line, try this; Picture your child doing or saying things at that boundary level to your husband’s great grandma Bertha, with your high school English teacher standing by, while the conversation is being recorded for playback at church. That could help you figure out what you are really comfortable with real quick!

Blessings!

This post is lovingly dedicated to all the mommies and daddies who have been horribly embarrassed by what just came out of their children’s mouths. We have all been there. You are doing a great job! Write it down, and share it at their future baby shower. They will love it!

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