Advice History

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.