It upsets me when people cuss in front of my children. They’re bound to hear it. I know Savannah has heard a thing or two at school. But it’s natural to want to keep any ugliness from their ears for as long as I can.
Starbucks is the worst. I noticed it in CT too, the potty mouths, so far, always men. Although I’ve never said anything, I’ve really wanted to. I think though, that I’ve perfected “the look.” It’s not an ugly look, really, it isn’t. It’s really just a sudden turning of the head, eye contact, and the very faintest raising of my brow.
The man who slipped the “f” word this morning saw me look at him and a few seconds later mumbled, “Guess I shouldn’t say that in front of kids.” I smiled some and said, “I don’t think they heard you.” Communicating that all was well, but I still agreed with him. He truly seemed embarrassed.
Now, the teenagers at the mall are a different story.
2 Comments
This is so tough... I'm somewhat infamous for swearing like a sailor, to the point where I don't even realizing I'm doing it. And I *hate* that I know sometimes I'm being inconsiderate, or imposing my social standards on someone else, but it's almost like a reflex that I'm not aware of.
(Also, being such a ham, it's an attention-getter, and I sometimes find those irresistible.)
It's great to be reminded of the other side of it, of the implications of saying the words, whether that's in a blog post or in a raised eyebrow when I'm out and about. I should remember, if Prince can stop swearing, I can probably cut back a little myself. :)
Brad's a good influence on this... I still cuss up a storm around him, but he's such a good witness (about so many things, but language in particular) that it reminds me of how I'd like to be better at it. That's a pretty great thing.
You're such a nice guy, Anil. Way to go, Alaina.
Prince stopped cussing?