http://www.mychildmagazine.com.au/index.php/archives/4295Tell us your views on swearing and win!It seems our perceptions of swearing are as varied as the number of swear words out there!
Recently, I was out to dinner with my extended family and I happened to say a flippant ‘What the hell!’ in front of my sister, a mother to three daughters aged 14, 16 and 18. She was shocked that I would use such a phrase and asked me not to swear in front of her children. I was equally as shocked that she could possibly consider the use of the word “hell” as swearing, and especially that she would be concerned about this in front of teenagers, one of whom is an adult attending university!
We agreed to differ on our perspectives on this but it left me wondering: how can swearing be defined in the 21st century? Back in 1960, things were fairly clear-cut but today they aren’t. Obviously, certain four-letter words such as “f***” and “c***” are not considered acceptable but what about “bum” or “crap” or “damn”? In some families, parents would commonly use these words in front of their children, in others never!
Interestingly, this incident followed hot on the heels of our latest issue in which we are running an article on how to deal with children misbehaving, and swearing was one of the three main forms of bad behaviour discussed (the other two being lying and stealing). It occurred to us that it might also be interesting to better understand people’s perceptions of swearing.
If you would like to express your opinion on swearing and what it means for parents in Australia, take our two-minute survey now -
http://www.mychildmagazine.com.au/index.php/archives/4302Just by answering the questions, you could be in the running to win one of two fantastic prize packs from Minimink valued at $250 each, including a hat, mitts and bootees for your little one, a notebook and album for yourself, as well as a pram liner, hot water bottle cover, teddy bear and one of their famous rugs, which also functions as a wrap or throw! Visit minimink.com.au.Scroll down to to read an extract from the article, or pick up your own copy of My Child magazine, available at selected newsagents, or click here to subscribe, to read the full piece.Extract from ‘Kids behaving badly’ by child psychologist John Waring, My Child Magazine Winter 2012 issue
“The vast majority of adults, if honest, would admit to swearing. Although they often believe that their child only started to swear when they went to preschool, I am sure that swearing is not part of the curriculum of preschool, so modelling of adult behaviour remains the most likely source of swearing for young kids. Swearing is becoming much more tolerated in Australia. For example, there was a time on Australian TV when the word “bum” would cause a flood of complaints.
As parents we need to educate our children about swearing. Children may need to know that there could be a time or a place where you believe that swearing is appropriate, but never in an abusive, harassing manner to another person.
We also need to be honest with ourselves and acknowledge that our children may well have learned to swear from us. Modelling is one of the most powerful learning techniques. In other words, set a good example for your children to follow in your own use of language.”
------------------------------------------------------------------
TERMS & CONDITIONSInformation on how to enter and prizes form part of these conditions of entry. Entries not completed in accordance with these terms and conditions are ineligible. The competition is open to Australian residents, and opens June 15 2012
and closes June 29 2012. The best entry, as chosen by the judges, will receive a prize pack from Minimink worth $250 which includes: a hat, mitts, bootees, notebook, album, pram liner, hot water bottle cover, teddy bear and 100cm square rug. To enter, participants must answer all 15 questions in the survey and correctly fill out their details for prize delivery. The two winners will be selected in the week commencing July 2 2012 and notified by email. The selection process is based entirely on skill and chance plays no part in determining the winner. The judges’ decision is final. No correspondence will be entered into. We reserve the right to change the specifics of the prize as required. The value of the prize will remain the same as the prize originally offered.
Only one entry per IP address. Please allow six weeks after the competition is finished for the delivery of prizes.
Australian Competitions Club
