Is it Ever Okay for a Nanny to Curse?

It's Not Cute When Kids Curse

Cursing got a rookie anchorman fired on his first day of work. Profanity on radio or television used to be verboten. Increasingly, an acceptance of coarse words has infiltrated media.

Usually the profane words are presented as the "F" word or the "S" word, or the even more infamous "M-F-er." Often, the curse is spoken with the last letter edited, fooling nobody. With the advent of HDTV, athletes' cursing can be easily heard or lip read. Boys, especially brothers, think they have a right to curse to prove their manhood.

I know many caregivers think it's cute when a toddler tries to say "Truck" but accidentally replaces the "T" with an "F," but I am embarrassed when a child I care for curses even when they don't know that they are swearing. It's even worse if they say a curse word because they are modeling a word they heard their caregiver say.

As a guardian of appropriate behavior, a nanny must prohibit profanity at all times. Whether the unknowing repetition of a three-year-old or the jock bluster of a teenager, the point has to be made and enforced that cursing is an offensive, poor, and lazy way to communicate.

The only time a nanny may curse is when explaining which words are "bad" and that they should not be used in public, on social media, or in polite company.