Parenting and the F Word
Parenting is never easy, and it offers many challenges for every parent. At a recent discussion with some Parents, the F Word was brought up. An enlightened Parent remarked that the F word no longer holds the same level of vulgarity as it used to be. The parent stipulated that the F word has evolved, and it does not hold the same weight, as it used to carry, when we were younger.
One parent has also told me that, as the F word is so commonly found in video games, kids hear it everyday, and to them, it is just a form of expression. From canteens to chatrooms, the F Word is now a commonly used word and part of everyday life! Today, the F word is used to express joy, delight, excitement, frustration and anger! I myself used to be quite agile in my usage of the F word. Using it in my conversations, the F Word was efficient in its ability to perpetuate my emotions, and allow me to find acceptance in certain social circles.
From its varied usage, we can clearly see the F Word is truly colourful and extremely versatile. It is always able to bring out the joys of each victory and the frustrations of each defeat. Despite the many uses, I must surely disagree with the proposition that the parent is bringing to the table. I truly believe that Parenting must rest on certain absolutes, and taking a moral stand on certain issues is of utmost importance. To me, the F word is not an enlightened word, but it is simply a cuss word, that should NOT be taught to children.
As a parent, there are just some universal values that we will all want to pass down to our kids! We want to raise children who are honest, caring, respectful, confident and loving. Coming from a Christian background, I find it difficult to let my children use the F Word in their everyday language. It may be acceptable in certain circles to use this word liberally, but I think the usage of this word is unnecessary and just offensive to me.
Passing the Right Values to our Kids
In our everyday conservations with our tweens and teens, we communicate our values to our kids. If we are always asking our kids about their homework, the children pick up, that we are result oriented.
The children are always watching, and if we want to pass down the qualities of love and honesty, we must walk the talk. As a parent who has young children, I give my children limited choices.
When I want to encourage the kids to live by my values, I give them 2 “right”options to choose from. For example, I ask my kids, “Do you want to apologise to your sibling now?” or “Do you need half an hour, before you apologise to your sibling?”
To add to this example, I try my best to talk and watch movies, which do not contradict my values. Sometimes, we bring the kids to watch movies, that are able to perpetuate the values that we want to teach the kids. As a family, we don’t watch Horror movies, as we don’t want to raise up children plagued with fears, nor expose them to an environment, which elevates the importance of the supernatural. Enough troubles are found in a day, and we just want a simpler environment, when it comes to Parenting.
Parenting is a tightrope that Fathers and Mothers are learning to walk across. However, before we make the journey across, parents need to decide which values they need to hold on to, and which values they can let go. The best values are moral absolutes, which are able to cross the threshold of time.