Today, being warm and rain free, was a mandatory "get Chris outside to play" day. So I took my stir-crazy, driving-Mommy-nuts, toddler to the park (near our townhouse) to burn off some energy. On the way there I heard one of the parents whistling for their child from their backdoor. That's not unusual, it seems most of the parents around here choose to whistle instead of yelling or, heaven forbid, walking the 10-50 feet to talk to their children.
We were still about 20 yards away from the side fence of the park when I heard a booming male voice say, "Are you THAT STUPID!?" My head snapped up and I watched in utter shock as an adult, whom I'm assuming was the whistling father, berated a small boy through the fence about 35 yards from us. I could see the child, who looked to be about 5 years old, was obviously terrified even from a distance. I was certainly glad there was a fence between them for I feared the man was angry enough to hit the child. Even knowing he couldn't strike the child I was horrified....mostly at the language he used. Although he didn't use the dreaded "F-word", in fact he used very few cuss words at all....it was the other words that bothered me. Words like stupid, moron, and worthless. These, IMO, are verbal slaps that can leave emotional scars similar to those of physical abuse. Such verbal abuse can, IMO, be just as debilitating as physical abuse whether the recipient be an adult or a child....but most especially to a child. Had I been closer, and safely inside the fence, I don't think I would've been able to just stand there and stare like the other parents did. No one should ever talk to a child like that....not even another child.
So what's worse? Cussing in front of a child or calling them stupid? IMO calling a child ugly or stupid is far more damaging to the child than the typical cuss words we generally avoid using around them.So why are such words considered to be Okay while others are taboo? When will words like ugly and dumb be considered "four-letter-words"...and why aren't they already?
Just Sayin'
We were still about 20 yards away from the side fence of the park when I heard a booming male voice say, "Are you THAT STUPID!?" My head snapped up and I watched in utter shock as an adult, whom I'm assuming was the whistling father, berated a small boy through the fence about 35 yards from us. I could see the child, who looked to be about 5 years old, was obviously terrified even from a distance. I was certainly glad there was a fence between them for I feared the man was angry enough to hit the child. Even knowing he couldn't strike the child I was horrified....mostly at the language he used. Although he didn't use the dreaded "F-word", in fact he used very few cuss words at all....it was the other words that bothered me. Words like stupid, moron, and worthless. These, IMO, are verbal slaps that can leave emotional scars similar to those of physical abuse. Such verbal abuse can, IMO, be just as debilitating as physical abuse whether the recipient be an adult or a child....but most especially to a child. Had I been closer, and safely inside the fence, I don't think I would've been able to just stand there and stare like the other parents did. No one should ever talk to a child like that....not even another child.
So what's worse? Cussing in front of a child or calling them stupid? IMO calling a child ugly or stupid is far more damaging to the child than the typical cuss words we generally avoid using around them.So why are such words considered to be Okay while others are taboo? When will words like ugly and dumb be considered "four-letter-words"...and why aren't they already?
Just Sayin'
