Well, I guess I could but I'm TOTALLY not making this up.
Tonight just before my youngest daughter and I knelt down for family prayers (because everyone else was out for the night) I went to turn the tv off and noticed that someone had written something in the dust on the base.
(yes I have enough dust that you can write in it...don't judge)
We have a flat screen tv with an rounded rectangular base. On one side of this base was a smiley face and on the other side?
The F-word.
Yep. I did a double take and looked a little more closely. Guess what came to mind?
THIS STORY. About a second grade teacher who was trying find out who was writing the F-word around her classroom so she had the kids write the word out so she could see if she could match up the handwriting. I had heard a passing blurb earlier today about the story but hadn't actually seen anything about it. That little radio blurb had obviously stuck with me because that story immediately came to my mind.
(I wonder if Jillian had seen or heard the story? Hmmmmm...)
Jillian came down the stairs and I pointed it out to her asking her what she knew about it. Do you know what she said? She said "I don't see anything." So I took her up closer and showed it to her. She tried denying that she wrote it but I was pretty certain it was her. A mom can tell about these things.
That and the smiley face on the opposite side was kind of a give away.
She wasn't fessing up so I told her that I would talk to the other kids about it and that if no one came forward that the tv would be turned off for everyone until the end of the month. That shook her loose. I wasn't even angry or yelling I just wanted to know why she wrote it.
Do you want to know why? Of course you do.
Why did she write it? Because she was bored. I told her if she was that bored then she should have gotten a rag and dusted off the shelf instead of writing that in the dust.
We had a discussion about that word and about swear words in general. I couldn't even ask her if she knew what it meant because then I would have to have tell her what it means. And we haven't had "The Talk" with her yet. Shut up. She's my baby.
*Note to self: Pencil in "The Talk" with Jillian.
We had a good little chat and I hope she has learned..
A: that the F-word is not a good word
and
2: If she tells the truth in the beginning things go better.
The moral of this story for me?
Dust more often.
Lesson learned.
10 comments:
Oh what an example you are.
1. I would've flipped out and probably made it a huger deal than necessary.
2. I wouldn't have blogged it.
hahaha But I'm glad you did. Because look how calm you were and made me think, "Maybe I can be calm like that one day too."
I'm sure that was jarring! I think you handled it wonderfully.
It makes us realize how much they learn at school and/or on tv that we don't necessarily approve of, doesn't it? Yikes.
It also reminds me that I need to dust.
Excellent moral to the story (tee,hee)
I think all kids "try out" that word and every parent has to be prepared.
My DAD told me what that F word meant.
yup...my mom found it impossible to talk to me about those things.
AND....my 2 aunts (her sisters) were the onces to tell me about "that time of month", with my mom in the room, who couldn't say a word.
Kinda funny when I think of it.
anyway, I think I have a dust rag calling my name around here, cause I get bored a lot...and don't want to resort to fingering in the F word. (tee,hee)
You handled that so well!!! I VIVIDLY remember calling my mother the B word ONE time...and was promptly backhanded and the lesson was learned. Can't wait for the boys to get older...or can I?? At least I can pawn THE talk off on the hubby :o)
Awesome.
I think dusting more totally solves the problem :). You are funny.
Seriously, so funny!
Loved this post! I still remember the one time Lincoln used that word, just to try it out. Thankfully I somehow mustered a portion of the calm you exhibited and explained that's not a word we ever use. Somehow it worked and I've not heard it since. I love that you shared, and that you are so amazing! :)
I probably shouldn't admit that I read this post aloud to my family...
and laughted.
This is a great word of warning. I must dust more often too.
(Seriously, I would have flipped, just a bit . . .)
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