Age Limits on Swearing?

[AyrSuppli]

Today, I was talking to my friend, who had just turned 12. In the middle of our conversation, he began using the words "damn" and "hell" just about every other word. I commented on this, and he said something along the lines of, "Well I'm 12 now, and I just remembered that I'm allowed to swear now." He continued to say that his mom (his parents are divorced) lets him swear more as he gets older. So this leads me to the question, Escapist - do you think this is a fair system? Do you think it makes sense? I personally think it's a stupid idea. What do you guys think?

 

[Omikron009]

It makes no sense. Kids like to swear as much as possible, and imposing limits on it means that they'll swear even more when they're finally allowed.

 

[Marter]

Not really. I don't think so due to it being the swearing, but because of the age. You see, I really don't like age limits on anything, because a person's maturity is not determined by their age.

Everyone is different, and I don't feel that putting an arbitrary age limit on something works well. Parents should gauge their child's maturity, and set limits accordingly. Due to maturity, not age.

 

[Eldarion]

Fuck that shit.

Yhea man, I mean freaken hell. What the fuck kind of shitty fucked up system is that? That ***** want me to stop cussing she can fuck off.

I'm not good at this as you can tell. I could not care less about swearing. I don't do it much myself but who am I to judge how others speak?

 

[Kpt._Rob]

I'm going to call it rediculous. Because it is.

If you don't want your kids to swear (and that's only if you for some strange reason don't want them to swear), and it seems like that's the case considering that she's only letting him do it more as he gets older, then it makes no sense to give him/her more swear words as he/she grows older, thereby making them seem less like what they are (words) and more like what they're not (signs of maturity).

 

[Disaster Button]

It is pointless. If you restrict a child from doing something they're obviously more likely to do it. I was never "allowed" to swear as a child so I went through about a year or so of using them a lot when I turned 13 then I just grew out of it as my parents knew I was bound to swear outside of their influence, even though they still didn't want me to do it around them.

I don't even like swearing now, I see it as mainly quite useless. They're just words and only have an impact because people let them do, to me they're just unoriginal ways of expressing emotions. I prefer more creative uses of words.

 

[BGH122]

Swearing is totally irrelevant, it is meaningless. Almost all swear words reference to something totally inane like a body part or a bodily process. Only a puritan would find such things offensive. Everyone should be allowed to use whichever words they choose, why the fucking cocking shitting hell not (I've always loved the fact that the Escapist is clever enough to realise this and not put in some sort of filter or anti-swearing rule)?

Be offended by the intention of someone's speech if it merits it, not the words they use to convey said intention.

 

[Eldarion]

Fuck that shit.

Yhea man, I mean freaken hell. What the fuck kind of shitty fucked up system is that? That ***** want me to stop cussing she can fuck off.

I'm not good at this as you can tell.

Shit man, it's that fucking God-damn whore nanny state establishment fucking brain-washing them or some fucking shit or something.

Your much better at this. Where did you grow up? XD

 

[Pielikey]

Swears were invented for three things:

Exaggeration,
Comedy (when used correctly),
and When you stub your toe at 3 AM and spill your coffee and it gets all over your pajamas and scorches your chest and there's no other words to express your anger and pain.

EDIT: Honestly if you don't let them swear now then they'll just swear MORE when they grow up, and not really contributing to how mature they are.

 

[Grounogeos]

Seriously? How is 'hell' a swear word? It's the name of a place! Fictional or not, depending on your beliefs, it's still a fucking location! How is saying a place's name swearing?!

 

[atombeast707]

ah, interesting system, but the kids gonna abuse it once he is allowed. it depends on the kid wether or not they need rules like this. if you teach them right, they wont wanna swear until they realize its nothing serious. thats what happened to me, and i turned out alright. oh, and i have to put in the obligatory: "i didnt say fuck i would never say fuck! ive never said fuck in my entire fuckin life god dammit! fuck!

 

[Burningsok]

it should be the parents that decide what their child can and can't say. No way will one overall rule be able to successfully dictate all kids. We aren't the same.

 

[WorldCritic]

It makes no sense. Kids like to swear as much as possible, and imposing limits on it means that they'll swear even more when they're finally allowed.

As true a statement as they can get.

 

[Eldarion]

Fuck that shit.

Yhea man, I mean freaken hell. What the fuck kind of shitty fucked up system is that? That ***** want me to stop cussing she can fuck off.

I'm not good at this as you can tell.

Shit man, it's that fucking God-damn whore nanny state establishment fucking brain-washing them or some fucking shit or something.

Your much better at this. Where did you grow up? XD

Melbourne.

East Brunswick REPRESENT!

I grew up on navy bases. Its weird that I didn't pick it up.

 

[lacktheknack]

Ummmm... no. You can't even try to cap your kid's swearing, either he will or he won't. Mom says that such language dare not touch her ears when I'm at home, so I don't. And I usually don't anywhere else, either. Giving limits is just silly.