The Case for Not Cussing

The topic of family cussing is a blurry and heated one that tends to draw a lot of attention. Is cussing okay for adults but not kids?  Or is it okay for kids over the age of 13?  18?  After all, if our kids hear bad language in movies and at school, why don't we just allow them to use bad language at home?

Our culture is so overly-connected and inundated with media's opinions that we doubt ourselves, our standards, and our convictions on nearly every level.   We are quick to adopt personal philosophies and standards of people we respect as well as societal norms that say something is 'okay' rather than working to define within our own hearts the truths and values we personally cherish.  We're all guilty of this at one time or another.  

"Their family does it this way, and I highly respect them, 

so it's probably okay for our family."

We'd never encourage our kids to reason like this.  In fact, we encourage them to think outside the box, swim against the current, stand up for what is right, be courageous, blah, blah, blah.  So why do we as parents follow societal norms?  Why are we so easily swayed?

My guess: it's simply easier.   

And we look a little less like weirdos.

And we're tired.  

The norm gives us a hall pass to skip the hard lessons of soul-searching or truth-finding.  We can just blend in with the crowd and avoid being the brunt of parental criticism.  Easy-peasy chicken squeasy.

He Gave His Shoes

This past weekend my hubby took our two oldest sons on an annual youth group trip to Vancouver.   The event is centered around Bible teaching but inevitably the stories I hear about have more to do with pranks, late night adventures, junk food stops, and the disgusting details of Truth or Dare.  Apparently a three hour bus ride is a carnival of mischief.

Gross.

I spent the evening with friends and came home after the boys returned from their trip.  The house was dark and it was long after bedtime so needless to say, I was a tad surprised when I climbed out of the car and was greeted by Riece, my oldest son.  He has a 'puppy personality'; he's playful, even-keel, ready to laugh, warm, and friendly.  He also has huge brown eyes which he's learned to use to talk me into driving him somewhere or letting him have dessert.

Rather than lecture him about being in bed on a church night, I let him pull me into a huge hug.  For him to excitedly greet me in the front yard meant that he had something he wanted to talk about.

A Reason to Reason

My older two boys are on FaceBook which makes for great conversation fodder.  As does the news.  As does life.  The boys and I will show each other postings or share a news story which focusing on the silly and stupid.  Since I have such a huge and compassionate heart (lots of sarcasm here), I'll often respond to a posting with a snort some type of loving comment like, 

"Now there's a genius." 

"Seriously people?!?"  

"What the...?"

"Now there's a brianiac."

Obviously my hypocrisy is tremendous as I'm not the brightest bulb in the box.  Granted, there are 'green light' areas of my personality or within my skill set that allow me to shine in certain situations but more often than I care to admit, I overlook the obvious, forget the memorable, ask dumb questions, or just tune out altogether. 

 I blame these situations on being a tired mom.