My kid cussed in front of me the other day... I was so proud.

[GammaPro]

Now, normally I wouldn't have been proud. Normally, it would have meant trouble. But, the reason he did it shocked me... in a good way.

It was last Sunday. We were dropping off his friend who had spent 5 whole days with us (Easter/Spring Break was going on). Anyway, the kid (Tyler) get sout of my car and says to my son "See you next time, Jonathon."

My son, staring daggers at his friend says "I'm not sure there'll be a next time."

Tyler stands there, sputtering and my son starts ticking off points on his hand about all the things we (his parents) had done for the kid : Took them out for pizza, the movies, bowling, putt putt, the video store to rent games. Then, we topped off the weekend with a trip to Six Flaggs where we spent the weekend at a hotel across the way.

In all that, meals were paid for, toys were bought (I don't buy for my kids and leave others out).

That wasn't the problem. The problem for my son with all this was the bitching and moaning about everything and the way nothing seemed to satisfy this kid. If I bought him one thing, he wanted another. If everyone else wanted to eat here, he wanted to eat there. And, very rudely let us know our choices sucked... even though he ate everything put in front of him. Never a "thank you" for anything.

Anyway, there my kid was ticking off all these points. Finally, he said "No, there may not be a next time... because you're just a great big asshole."

Well, I left it to his mother to talk to him about the swearing. I couldn'tdo it. Because, everything he said was truth and by the time I brought that kid home I wanted to strangle him my damn self.

[Tom]

Wow. That even made me feel proud.

[Spike-X]

Finally, he said "No, there may not be a next time... because you're just a great big asshole."

Well, I left it to his mother to talk to him about the swearing. I couldn'tdo it. Because, everything he said was truth and by the time I brought that kid home I wanted to strangle him my damn self.

I probably would have disregarded the swear word altogether, but that's just me. Your kid done good, GP.

[Nightcrawler]

Wow. That's some obnoxious brat. Congratulations on a kid well done, GP.

[JeffreyWKramer]

Coolness, Gamma. Very, very cool.

Thanks for sharing, man. That story warms the heart.

[Adam Crocker]

Well can't fault the kid for using the term properly. :evilsmile

[Solaris]

I probably would have disregarded the swear word altogether, but that's just me. Your kid done good, GP.


Dang straight. I'd be proud as heck of my kid too, and I think the word was *called for*.

Thanks for sharing, Gamma. Cool story.

[Scubbily]

Dude, if I was you I would have gone out bought a shed, put it in the backyard with a couch and a small tv and thrown that kid in there. Maybe throw a piece of pizza in once a couple hours. MAYBE. That Tyler kid sounds like a TOTAL DOUCHEBAG. I would not have put up with him. Smart kid. Makes me proud that he can say that and not restrain himself in front of you.

[Spike-X]

I wonder what the reaction from Tyler's parents will be, if/when they hear about this?

[Spike-X]

Dude, if I was you I would have gone out bought a shed, put it in the backyard with a couch and a small tv...

A black and white TV, at that. Give the kid something to really whine about.

[Boldido]

When you say, "I left it to his mother to talk to him about his swearing, " if you mean her saying, "Son, I'm so proud of you, let's go to toys'r'us," then I am in 100% agreement with you. If you mean anything that is meant to reprimand or punish; however, I would beg you to reconsider.

[Solaris]

Hubby just read your post and says, "Let the 'asshole' bit slide... it was worth it."

Sometimes you just gotta call a spade a spade, even if it means a very mild cussword like "asshole." This was appropriate usage of the word, in both our opinions.

What's even better is that *your* kid not only recognized the nice things you'd done, he stood up *for* you to his friend. Dude, you can't buy that with gold.

[Justin Davis]

Wow. That even made me feel proud.

I hate when you say things that I'm thinking before I get the chance.

Way to go, kid. Hell, I'm not sure about appropriate language, but your son sure as hell knows appropriate behavior, Gamma.

[Slappy san]

I wonder what the reaction from Tyler's parents will be, if/when they hear about this?

Me too.

10

[The Mirrorball Man]

I'm not sure I'm entirely familiar with the term (being a foreigner and all that): "cussword", it's just a euphemism for "curse word" right?

[Ayo]

I'm not sure I'm entirely familiar with the term (being a foreigner and all that): "cussword", it's just a euphemism for "curse word" right?

It's not a euphemism, but a product of regional dialect that sort of grew beyond the region and became an informal synonymn.

Btw, good job, Gamma!

[The Mirrorball Man]

It's not a euphemism, but a product of regional dialect that sort of grew beyond the region and became an informal synonym.
Is it? Well, thank you, I didn't know that. I thought it was one of those minced oaths (darn, heck, egad, etc.) that English-speakers use when they want to get away with profanity.

[Valmore]

Why the heck do you think it's justified for one CHILD to call another CHILD an "asshole" - even if the kid was?

Bullshit. You don't let your child get away with being an asshole just because his friend was one.

He had many, MANY other options to choose from in his choice of language.

So much for taking the high road.

[Solaris]

Why the heck do you think it's justified for one CHILD to call another CHILD an "asshole" - even if the kid was?

Bullshit. You don't let your child get away with being an asshole just because his friend was one.

He had many, MANY other options to choose from in his choice of language.

So much for taking the high road.


you know, asshole doesn't seem like much of a cussword to me, anymore than bullshit. now if he'd called the other kid "you little fuck" it'd be different. asshole is the only word he used that could in any way be considered wrong. set against that the fact that this kid went contrary to the actions one might expect of a stereotypical kid---keeping his mouth shut, not noticing the stuff, not wanting to alienate a friend even if the friend was an ungrateful jerk to the parents---and instead stood up for the parents about the other kid's rudeness and ungrateful attitude, and that the boy had the confidence to DO so to his peer and friend... that's a wonderful thing. He stood up to a friend for what was right and fairly due to his family, and against his friend's continual rude behavior. how you can say that's not the "high road" is beyond me.

to me, it's very much like dropping a ton of bricks on your kid for telling a friend that "only assholes do drugs" after the other kid offered him a slug of booze or a pill. the ability to stand up to a friend for what is right FAR outweighs the use of one minor off-color word.

i'm going to bed now, folks; i think i may have walking pneumonia. just couldn't let this particular one go by, tho. :)

[GammaPro]

When I say his mother "handled it", I just mean she had a talk with him about watching his language. He didn't get in trouble.

Why the heck do you think it's justified for one CHILD to call another CHILD an "asshole" - even if the kid was?

Bullshit. You don't let your child get away with being an asshole just because his friend was one.

He had many, MANY other options to choose from in his choice of language.

So much for taking the high road.

Now... how did I know someone with limited understanding of any of this would come in being so judgemental?

He said the word "asshole". Big damn deal. Is this supposed to really disappoint me? Am I supposed to forget what a good child he normally is? Am I supposed to forget the patience and help he gives his 4 yr old brother? Am I supposed to forget how unselfish the boy is? Am I supposed to forget he was student of the freakin' year and constantly makes me proud?

I'm supposed to forget all that in the face of the word "asshole" and come down on him with storm like fury?

Lest you forget, you couldn't ven disagree with everyone else without the flowery exclamation of "Bullshit." You had no other words you could use?

By the by, you just called my kid an asshole... based on one post. That makes your entire point invalid.

And, this is not a threat, since I realize you and I will never be face to face, but... just so you know, my normal reaction to someone cursing my child would be to bitch slap them. So, enjoy your well being and the relative saftey and anonymity of the internet. Try not to do that type of thing in public, though. Your jaw will thank you.

Have a nice day.

[Tom]

I don't think Gamma's kid acted like an asshole at all. I think Gamma should be proud of his kid for recognizing the other kid's ingratitude and for having the strength of character to call him on it.

[Spike-X]

Why the heck do you think it's justified for one CHILD to call another CHILD an "asshole" - even if the kid was?

Bullshit. You don't let your child get away with being an asshole just because his friend was one.

He had many, MANY other options to choose from in his choice of language.

So much for taking the high road.
Coming down on a kid for standing up for his family, just because the kid used a very mild (relatively speaking) swear word in doing so?

You'd have to be a real asshole to do that.

[miss5050]

how old are they?

[Valmore]

Now... how did I know someone with limited understanding of any of this would come in being so judgemental?

He said the word "asshole". Big damn deal. Is this supposed to really disappoint me? Am I supposed to forget what a good child he normally is? Am I supposed to forget the patience and help he gives his 4 yr old brother? Am I supposed to forget how unselfish the boy is? Am I supposed to forget he was student of the freakin' year and constantly makes me proud?

I'm supposed to forget all that in the face of the word "asshole" and come down on him with storm like fury?

Lest you forget, you couldn't ven disagree with everyone else without the flowery exclamation of "Bullshit." You had no other words you could use?

By the by, you just called my kid an asshole... based on one post. That makes your entire point invalid.

And, this is not a threat, since I realize you and I will never be face to face, but... just so you know, my normal reaction to someone cursing my child would be to bitch slap them. So, enjoy your well being and the relative saftey and anonymity of the internet. Try not to do that type of thing in public, though. Your jaw will thank you.

Have a nice day.

By the by, two wrongs don't make a right - your kid calling another kid an "asshole" is an exact example of that. Even if the other kid was acting like an asshole the whole time, your kid calling the other kid an "asshole" is STILL wrong.

I never said it was wrong of him to point out how the other kid was acting badly. On the contrary, that was just fine. Kudos for him on doing that. However, he could have said, "You acted like a complete jerk to my family, what makes you think we should ever do this again?" Or something on that level.

However, he didn't do that. Much like I didn't control my typing the word "bullshit."

[Valmore]

Also, I apologize for saying your kid acted like an asshole.

[GozertheGozarian]

Sometimes though, you simply cannot get a point across without profanity. In this case, the kid will be forced to consider how he acted to ever be invited over again. Being more PC would likely just make him shrug his shoulders and say "whatever".

[Ayo]

"Asshole" is my favorite curseword of the moment, it's one of the last words left that really fills in that gap of anger between mild irritation and outright hatespeech.

We need this word.









If I were in Gamma's shoes, I wouldn't have been able to punish the child either...but mostly because I would have been laughing my *ass* off!

[miss5050]

"Asshole" is my favorite curseword of the moment

We need this word.

do u know "meet the fockers"? lil one was sayin it all the time :D damn funny
ASS HOOOOOOOOLE

[GammaPro]

Also, I apologize for saying your kid acted like an asshole.

Thank you.

I could see where you were coming from. But, to be honest, we'll never be perfect parents, and he'll never be a perfect kid. But, he does come close enough.

I am still wary of the teen years, though. That's the curse of having extremely good kids. When they do do something really drastic or bad, I expect it will hit us quite a bit harder.

[Spike-X]

By the by, two wrongs don't make a right - your kid calling another kid an "asshole" is an exact example of that. Even if the other kid was acting like an asshole the whole time, your kid calling the other kid an "asshole" is STILL wrong.

See, I disagree here. I don't think there's anything wrong with calling an asshole an asshole. As long as it's made clear that an exception is being made in this particular instance, so that it doesn't become an everyday thing, I wouldn't have a problem with it.

I'm a father of two, btw.

[Charles RB]

Why the heck do you think it's justified for one CHILD to call another CHILD an "asshole" - even if the kid was?

Me personally? Because of the whole "the kid was" bit- and for five days! Not only is GammaPro Jr justified, I want to shake his hand.

[Valmore]

Thank you.

I could see where you were coming from. But, to be honest, we'll never be perfect parents, and he'll never be a perfect kid. But, he does come close enough.

I am still wary of the teen years, though. That's the curse of having extremely good kids. When they do do something really drastic or bad, I expect it will hit us quite a bit harder.

I shouldn't be so judgemental - after all, you did have mom speak to him about it. Not like I'll ever be the perfect parent either. I'm sort of (but not completely) old-fashioned in some respects. I mean, I agree with Tom - your kid had a lot of guts to point out what an asshole the other kid was being.