The hatred of grownups...

We have an atypical policy on cursing in our house. When I discovered that I have a bit of an impulsive potty mouth, I re-evaluated calling profanity "bad words." If the words are bad and I use them, that would make me "bad," right? So, I took to calling them "grownup words." This way, I can use them and you can't. Someday they may be smart enough to see through this logic, but for now, it works. If one of the children gets caught using a grownup word, the consequence is scrubbing the toilets, several loads of laundry, paying bills online or one of the other numerous joys of being an adult. After a few warnings, the kids using profanity really hasn't been a problem.

We also don't allow them to call people names like stupid, fat and other things we feel are disrespectful. We also don't allow them to say "hate". Hate, even in small doses, breeds hate on a national and world level. Words reflect consciousness and we don't want our family, even in adulthood, to use unkind words.

Grandpa Ken relayed a story about a time he was in the car with just Bella a few months ago. They were driving along and Bella was telling him about something that frustrated her. (which could be anything because we are all so much less enlightened than her...)

Grandpa Ken: "Oh, Bella. I hate it when that happens." He caught himself and said, "Oops. Sorry, Bella. I'm not supposed to say 'hate'."

Bella: "Don't worry, Grandpa. You can say it, it's okay. Just kids can't say 'hate.'"