swearing 2.5yo opinions on how to correct the behaviour...

tinka1326

My 2.5yo son has picked up a nasty habit that I admit has most likely come from me... He is saying 'fuck off'... He doesnt understand what it means and I have been ignoring it if he is saying it to get my attention and giving him alternate things to say like 'please stop' or 'enough please' when he is saying it in his play time. I feel that telling him off and punishing him is simply giving him attention even if it's bad attention and will encourage him saying it to get that attention... I explained all this to my ex and he agreed... Then his fiance drops my son off and tells me that she sent him to his room with a tap on the bum when he said it... Apparently her mum (a nurse) thinks this is a better way to handle it. I couldn't care less what some strangers opinion is on my son's discipline... But now im not sure what method is better... Would love to hear opinions ladies

Bahamamama4828

Have you tried copying him but changing the word, not correcting him?
Or maybe a chart with stickers showing how many days he doesn't say that word he will get a treat?
Have to figure out where he heard it first.

tinka1326

@bahamamama4828 Im about 90% sure it was from me. My parter and I play fight and I tell him to eff off without thinking. I am more concious now of it as is my partner. The copying is a great idea, the sticker chart will be good for when he is a little older, right now he just doesn't get the concept

Bahamamama4828

Lol uh oh. My 2 yr old is the same way. He says oh shit I say oh no! In a silly voice and funny face

tinka1326

@bahamamama4828 thats basically what I have been doing and it corrects it... Till he finds a new word lol

Bahamamama4828

Lol oh OK. That's a tough one then, I basically have the same 2 yr old lol.
I'll figure this out.

vtmamajuju

My brother didn't like hearing my son say that's stupid or you're stupid, so he taught him to replace any negative or bad word with that's unfortunate! Its silly but it worked! And funny to hear him say.

When he got older and started saying that's unfortunate less I washed his mouth out with soap one time and haven't had a problem since.

My2Boys

Thankfully my 3 year old has never really sworn and he does not necessarily crave bad attention unless he wants someone to play with (he is very active and hyper). Even then he is not bad, just I hate to say it but, annoying lol. He picks up on EVERYTHING though, and we have on accident sworn in front of him and he has never repeated it. He loves to watch Disney movies though and Looney Toons, and I never noticed how bad they were until he started repeating them and telling me who says what in these movies. For example in Monsters Inc. the big monsters goes "I'm sooooo stuuupiid" well my three year old started repeating this all the time and it really bothered me because even though it is not a bad word I dont like to hear that from him. He also learned the word "shut up" off of Charlie Brown, he tells me Lucy says it, and after I watched it with him I could not believe the things that are in these kids movies. My husband and I decided we would explain to him not to say those things the first couple of times, and after that he started sitting in time out for it. Time out has always worked best for punishments for him and now he does not say it. But I think the first couple of times you have to tell them why it is bad to say, and then if they continue punish them, becuase they are old enough to be listening to you, and if you tell them not to say it then I feel they are being punished for not listening. I see nothing wrong with a little swat on the but, and if my son is being really bad and has gone in time out a few times that day (rarely happens) then I start giving him a little spank before sending him to sit down. We make him sit on the bottom of our stairs, because after using the couch we noticed he just watches tv and we dont believe in sending him to his room because we dont want to mess up his bed time routine and have him not like it in their and because we dont have time to sit in there all the time with him and he would just play. You just have to figure out what works best for him and for you, sometimes it takes a while to figure out a punishment system, but stick to it once you get what works. It is good that your ex agreed, and as long as he is being punished in both households for the same types of behaviors that is good. Even if you have different styles of punishing him atleast he is being punished, and what works for you may not work for them, he may act differently with them. Just be happy that your ex is not letting him get away with everything while you have to be the "bad guy".