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Parentpedia
Potty Talk
What Experts Say
While some parents find it adorable when their child first utters "poopy head," preschoolers' potty talk can quickly escalate to dirty words or even swear words. Using these words is a 3- or 4-year-old's way of testing the limits with you and other adults. He is learning that language can be powerful.
Not to worry, says esteemed parenting expert Dr. Spock. A child's use of potty talk, sometimes called bathroom words, is part of normal childhood development. Like other unpleasant habits such as nose picking, kids will outgrow it.
What to do when your preschooler utters her first "pee-pee face?" Generally, the child is aware that the words are naughty, but she is...
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Where Do Kids Learn This Language?
It can be especially difficult to teach a child the nuances of when it it's appropriate to talk about pee and poo and when it's not. When you are preparing for, in the midst of, or just on the other side of toilet training, poo and pee are normal, regular topics of conversation wherever you are. Suddenly flipping a propriety switch, and telling a kid that everything he has been praised for for so long is now offensive and impolite seems unrealistic; if you have ever talked poo and pee with your child, then, expect to keep on doing so for a while; as he gets older, explain the situations where it's not polite to discuss: at a restaurant, at dinner, etc.For stronger language, especially language used in an emotionally charged setting [e.g., when fighting, arguing, teasing, playing], kids will learn the limits and expectations parents follow themselves. If they hear parents or older siblings using a word, they'll feel entitled to use it, too. It follows, then, that if there are words you don't want your child to use, you should expect to not let them hear you using them, either.
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Where Have I Gone Wrong?
The following is an actual conversation. It occurred one night immediately after the kids came out of the bathtub and immediately before I lit my hair on fire and ran screaming from the house.... read more
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August 23, 2007
Potty Mouth = Potty Time
When my oldest son was 3, he loved potty talk. Finally, we told him that he could only use potty talk in the bathroom. If he was using potty talk, we told him, it clearly meant that he had to actually use the potty.... read more
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