You may have heard that young kids are like parrots, but until you hear that sweet, cherubic face that you love so much uttering its first potty words, you may not realize quite how true such a statement actually is. Parroting in very young kids is actually a key part of how kids learn the language, so if you hear a 12 or 18 month old uttering one of those oh-so-lovely phrases that you are in the habit of saying, use that as your reminder to curb your language before it’s too late.
Once your child is old enough to know what potty words are and is fully aware that he or she is using bad language, then your task of curbing that behavior comes into play. Here are some ways to handle that behavior:
Use Reasoning: If your child is using potty language that he or she should know is inappropriate for the first time, you first want to explain that some words are naughty and it’s not nice to use them. Make sure they understand what their punishment is for saying such words again.
Apologize: Clearly your child learned the words from somewhere, and the most likely source of education is from his or her parents. In that same conversation where you are explaining that those words are naughty, also apologize for using them in front of your child. Make sure your child knows that sometimes mommies and daddies say bad things, and that when this happens, those words should not be repeated.
Swift Punishment: If the language continues beyond that first time, you likely have a growing problem on your hand, and you do want to nip it in the bud before it becomes a problem. In the “old days” of our childhood, many parents used to put soap on our mouths. Nowadays, this is generally considered to be a parenting no-no as most soaps have a certain level of toxicity and aren’t designed to be ingested. Following along that same line of putting something unpleasant in the child’s mouth, though, consider other safer things that a child may find unpleasant such as pepper. We do use pepper in my house because it’s easily accessible, and we can even access it in public places pretty easily if necessary, too.
Beyond the First Punishment: After you apply your swift punishment action a time or two, hopefully your problem will be resolved. Such a punishment does indeed leave a lasting impression, and so generally that will solve the problem. If a child slips up at some point in the future, often the mere mention of pepper will cure the issue.
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