Anonymous wrote:I am concerned that a 3yo is saying F U. I would be worried about him/her being a bad influence on my own child. Kids are like sponges and start to imitate behavior so quickly.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am concerned that a 3yo is saying F U. I would be worried about him/her being a bad influence on my own child. Kids are like sponges and start to imitate behavior so quickly.

He’s 3 - Maybe he’s a bad influence? But I’d honestly be more concerned about what he’s witnessing and experiencing at home. I’m no peach, but my 6 year old certainly doesn’t know “f you”

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So many pearl clutchers. Former preschool teacher here. It’s entirely common and developmentally normal for preschool kids to experiment with swearing. It’s certainly not a reason for parents to judge each other or end a friendship. Kids are smart. They are learning words have power. And Not all kids respond well to an authoritative parenting style. OP you need to try some different techniques. Because I said so is not going to work for a lot of kids. Just because your child is compliant doesn’t make this other child or his parents bad or worse parents than you. You’re the adult. Try some new strategies. Get creative. Or just end the arrangement if you can’t figure out how to connect with this child. Based on the tone of your post, it doesn’t sound to me like you even want to make this work and have already written him off, which is a real shame.

I have 3 kids and I’ve swapped childcare with tons of families. I have never had a kid yell F U to me. I’ve never seen a kid that young swear ever. And yes, I’ve dealt with my share of tantrums and pushing boundaries. My youngest is 2 so it’s not like I had kids decades ago in a rural farm or something.

There is nothing developmentally normal about a preschooler swearing. And it’s definitely not something I would want my children around.

It’s developmentally normal. Your experience as a parent isn’t the same as my degrees and professional experience in early childhood development, sorry. I’m not going to get into an argument about this but you are wrong. Also, culture plays a role. If you are from a conservative culture that does not swear it’s likely you would not have experienced this. But many families and cultures do swear.

Wow, I"m sorry for your professional experience in early childhood development. While I am sure there are families and cultures that do swear, that doesn't mean it should be normalized for small children. The only families that I know of where swearing and foul language are common is section 8 households. Not exactly the standard to strive for.

Anonymous wrote:My kids are older, but I remember explaining my very short list of "house rules" to their friends who would come over to play in grade school. No jumping on the furniture, no helping yourself to snacks (all I ask is that you please ask first), that kind of thing. If they asked for a snack they knew I would respond, "What do you say?" (answer: please followed by thank-you). My list was pretty short, but they knew the score and my kids' friends were fine with it. Strangely, my house became the go-to after school house for the neighborhood.

Let the kid know what your expectations, OP. If a kid had told me "F U", he would have gone home immediately and I would have told his mother that he swore at me. Let her ask him what he said later. That is completely unacceptable behavior.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So many pearl clutchers. Former preschool teacher here. It’s entirely common and developmentally normal for preschool kids to experiment with swearing. It’s certainly not a reason for parents to judge each other or end a friendship. Kids are smart. They are learning words have power. And Not all kids respond well to an authoritative parenting style. OP you need to try some different techniques. Because I said so is not going to work for a lot of kids. Just because your child is compliant doesn’t make this other child or his parents bad or worse parents than you. You’re the adult. Try some new strategies. Get creative. Or just end the arrangement if you can’t figure out how to connect with this child. Based on the tone of your post, it doesn’t sound to me like you even want to make this work and have already written him off, which is a real shame.

I have 3 kids and I’ve swapped childcare with tons of families. I have never had a kid yell F U to me. I’ve never seen a kid that young swear ever. And yes, I’ve dealt with my share of tantrums and pushing boundaries. My youngest is 2 so it’s not like I had kids decades ago in a rural farm or something.

There is nothing developmentally normal about a preschooler swearing. And it’s definitely not something I would want my children around.

It’s developmentally normal. Your experience as a parent isn’t the same as my degrees and professional experience in early childhood development, sorry. I’m not going to get into an argument about this but you are wrong. Also, culture plays a role. If you are from a conservative culture that does not swear it’s likely you would not have experienced this. But many families and cultures do swear.