[clairity]

adults really shouldn't pregurgitate spurious reasoning like this for children, no matter how well-meaning. instead, we should tell them the direct truth, perhaps only eliding nuance and detail for the appropriate maturity.

swear words are exclamatories, meant to indicate extreme emotion. so using a lot of swear words is like shouting all the time, or using all caps all the time in writing. it washes away the richness of expression and makes the swearer seem unable to properly contextualize and express their emotions. our brains are attuned to wash out sameness and pick out differences, especially sharp ones. that's also why selective swearing is very effective, and constant swearing is ineffective.

there's certainly much more to it than just that, but that should be the core contextualization of swearing for kids. let them experiment on their own but just like shouting all the time, let them know it won't be tolerated in most situations until they can effectively and appropriately wield this grammatical tool. don't impose some indirect, off-the-cuff age cut-off, which they'll surely understand as being arbitrary and therefore easily (and rightfully) dismissed.

[InCityDreams]

>adults really shouldn't pregurgitate spurious reasoning like this for children, no matter how well-meaning.

My house, my rules?