3 Y.O. Swears At Teacher Over Spilled Lunch, School Insists On An Apology Letter But Parents Refuse
Curse words – the spice in the recipe of language! Sometimes they’re welcomed, and sometimes they’re simply needed – however, it all depends on the situation and the people surrounding you.
This father, for instance, found out that his 3-year-old son had used profanity on his teacher. The school demanded an apology letter, yet the man is refusing to draft one as he is certain that the kiddo didn’t learn it from his parents.
More info: Reddit
3-year-old boy curses at his preschool teacher when they ask him to clean up his spilled lunch
Image credits: stockicide (not the actual photo)
Upon finding out, the parents apologize to the staff and conduct an intervention with their offspring
Image credits: Virginia State Parks (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Arthur Krijgsman (not the actual photo)
Image source: u/TheBreakUp2013
“AITA if I refuse to write an apology letter to my son’s school?” – this internet user took to one of Reddit’s most judgmental communities, asking its members if he’s indeed a jerk for refusing to write an apology letter to teachers and administration for teaching their 3-year-old the b-word. The post managed to garner nearly 2K upvotes as well as 345 comments discussing the situation.
Did you know that according to a 2022 study from Preply, a language learning app and e-learning platform, “The average age Americans start using swear words is 11”?
Profanity has been a thing for as long as language itself, and to this day, it’s been used daily by everyone and their grandma.
What can I say? Life is so very taxing that, sometimes, dropping the f-bomb is simply necessary.
Emotional expression, stress, coping, relief, social bonding, humor, habit, provocation – there’s a bajillion and one reasons one would want to resort to strong language; however, as with everything in life, there’s a limit.
The out-of-place use of curse words can have a negative impact. Some folks find it deeply offensive and emotionally distressing; it might come off as disrespectful and unprofessional; it can weaken the impact of your words if you use it excessively; and judging by today’s story, it can also influence innocent 3-year-olds into saying derogatory things to their preschool teachers over some spilled lunch!
Yikes, I know, but that’s why it’s so important to demonstrate appropriate role modeling.
However, what if it didn’t come from you directly? First things first, you need to create a safe space for communication where your child can discuss stuff freely without fear of judgment. Explain to them the importance and why it’s not appropriate, perhaps introduce alternative words, and praise the good behavior.
However, the school still asks them to prepare a letter apologizing for teaching their son profanity
Image credits: Pixabay (not the actual photo)
This family, though, despite occasionally venting their frustration with some colorful words, have stated that they’ve never used derogatory terms, let alone in front of their kid – however, it didn’t stop the little one from adding a certain word into his lexicon.
The thing is, the 3-year-old had started private preschool where he was pleasing his folks with positive feedback, up until one incident. The student spilled his lunch, and when he was asked to clean it up, he dropped the b-word on his female teacher and even repeated it.
Naturally, everyone was mind-boggled by the events; the parents apologized and conducted an appropriate intervention for their offspring, yet the school decided that it was not enough.
The institution insisted that the parents prepare a letter apologizing to the teachers and administration for teaching their son the word – but since they deny doing so, the dad is debating whether it’d be a jerk move to refuse to apologize for something they didn’t do.
What do you reckon? Do you think the couple should take the high road and apologize?
Fellow online community members shared their thoughts and opinions on the matter
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My son got in trouble when he was 5 as he told his teacher he was feeling pissed off. She wrote it in his day book that he has. We wrote back apologising but being out and about, he hears all sorts of bad language.
Does the school even understand toddlers and their linguistic acquisition?? Those bright little sponges pick up new favorite words *everywhere.* It’s silly to dole out such punishment to parents when that particular word could have just as easily been learned in the teachers’ own school! Frankly, if a child is exposed to television in the US now then they definitely have heard the B-word. Although, any parent who readily admits to “We swear. We say F, S, AH, and occasionally GD,” while simultaneously claiming to not slip out the B-word or “derogatory” words is super sus in my book. If you swear like that with a toddler in the house, you almost guaranteed have swearing on TV or slip in a B-word in conversation and don’t notice.
I disagree that it's suspicious, biatch is directly misogynistic and demeaning in ways the others are not, if the parents do not have those types of feelings it makes sense they would never use that word.
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Ask the school if they also teach older students, who OP’s kid could’ve overheard at some point—-or had used against himself, which could’ve been the reason for his apparent agitation. When I was a toddler, I picked up a certain word (it was one of the bad ones) from my brothers, and decided to say it out loud in the middle of a department store. My parents were so mortified they left that store in nothing flat. Years later, when my niece, my oldest brother’s daughter, learned the same word after she started going to school (so learned it from other kids, not siblings), she decided to yell it in the middle of a public library, which her parents also left in nothing flat, absolutely mortified. Children are like sponges, sometimes they also soak in some of the dirty water in the sink. OP and wife seem to be careful about language around their son, so the best bet is he picked it up from the school’s older students. Not the parents’ fault, but the school’s fault.
I like how you say picking up some of the dirty water, too. So true. I teach college to high schoolers and some of the stuff I hear them saying is just atrocious to me and I'm one to let the bad words just fall out of my mouth (never at the high school around students, though). He could have heard it anywhere.
Load More Replies... My son got in trouble when he was 5 as he told his teacher he was feeling pissed off. She wrote it in his day book that he has. We wrote back apologising but being out and about, he hears all sorts of bad language.
Does the school even understand toddlers and their linguistic acquisition?? Those bright little sponges pick up new favorite words *everywhere.* It’s silly to dole out such punishment to parents when that particular word could have just as easily been learned in the teachers’ own school! Frankly, if a child is exposed to television in the US now then they definitely have heard the B-word. Although, any parent who readily admits to “We swear. We say F, S, AH, and occasionally GD,” while simultaneously claiming to not slip out the B-word or “derogatory” words is super sus in my book. If you swear like that with a toddler in the house, you almost guaranteed have swearing on TV or slip in a B-word in conversation and don’t notice.
I disagree that it's suspicious, biatch is directly misogynistic and demeaning in ways the others are not, if the parents do not have those types of feelings it makes sense they would never use that word.
Load More Replies... Ask the school if they also teach older students, who OP’s kid could’ve overheard at some point—-or had used against himself, which could’ve been the reason for his apparent agitation. When I was a toddler, I picked up a certain word (it was one of the bad ones) from my brothers, and decided to say it out loud in the middle of a department store. My parents were so mortified they left that store in nothing flat. Years later, when my niece, my oldest brother’s daughter, learned the same word after she started going to school (so learned it from other kids, not siblings), she decided to yell it in the middle of a public library, which her parents also left in nothing flat, absolutely mortified. Children are like sponges, sometimes they also soak in some of the dirty water in the sink. OP and wife seem to be careful about language around their son, so the best bet is he picked it up from the school’s older students. Not the parents’ fault, but the school’s fault.
I like how you say picking up some of the dirty water, too. So true. I teach college to high schoolers and some of the stuff I hear them saying is just atrocious to me and I'm one to let the bad words just fall out of my mouth (never at the high school around students, though). He could have heard it anywhere.
Load More Replies...
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