Monday, August 17, 2009

I need some advice

I'm thinking ahead here, but I need to solicit advice so I'm prepared....

Ethan is into rhyming lately. So, we go down lists of rhyming words...Red, Bed, Said, etc....and sometimes we through in a silly non-word or two...Ked, Ped...

Coincidentally, one of his new favorite words is "Pluck". What happens when he starts to rhyme "Pluck" with the f-word? Not just once, but over and over again? Ignore it? Will ignoring it lead to public embarrassment on my part? Point out that it's not a nice word? Will that make him want to say it in secret?

What do you think? Personal experiences? Insight and wisdom, please :)

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

When he says it, I would just point out that that's not a word we say, in the house or in public.
We did that and it worked perfectly. Just be consistent and hold your ground.
He'll want to say it in private, all kids do, but he'll learn that it's not nice and he'll get bored and move on.

jenny said...

Oh no!!! While that truly IS a predicament I cant help but laugh when I picture your face when he says it :) Good luck my friend!!

myfriar said...

Yeah, Chris *rolled* his eyes at this post because he thinks it is an unfounded concern, but, Jenny, I think I'm just squirming at the THOUGHT of such an ugly word coming out of such a precious mouth...not that he would know it...but it doesn't matter! That's such an ugly word, I cringe! I wish I could capture my expression just for you!!

Shannon said...

My only advice is NOT to laugh or let anyone else laugh when he says it. That is always what makes them keep saying things.

Shannon said...

This word arrived at our house, too ... except it's when Connor tries to say "fix" ... for some reason it comes out, ahem, not sounding good. He has no idea at age 2, so obviously (other than being unable to control our laughter) we haven't highlighted that's it's a bad word.

Brenna is all about rhyming, too. We haven't used "pluck" just yet (but thanks for the heads up to avoid it, haha) ... but yesterday she was rhyming words from a phonics book and says, "Sit ... S*IT!" I just moved on to the next word w/o saying anything. BUT, that worked b/c it was just one word among many - not something she's repeating over and over.

Hmmm. My inclination is to ignore it since he's not saying it out of knowing it's "bad" ... but probably these other responders have more experience and it might be good to just point out that, "Yes, that does rhyme, but unfortunately, it's not a nice word, so we're not going to rhyme w/ that one anymore." ?? Just be careful ... you KNOW he'll ask WHY it's not a nice word and/or what it means!! Ack!

Good luck - post again once you decide what approach to take and how it goes!! I'm curious!

kellbelle96 said...

Just tell him that it's not a nice word and that you don't use it in your family. He's definitely old enough to understand that there are certain words he can't use. You might need to remind him a few times, since he seems to like saying it. Don't ignore it, but don't make a huge deal out of it either. Trust me, all kids go through phases when they hear new words. Just teach them they're not nice (or that they're "grown up words", like I tell my kids) and it will soon pass.

And don't worry about public embarrassment...any person out there with kids will understand. :)