Dropping the F-Bomb

My kid is a good boy. He has had his problems in school and listening sometimes (show me a 13 year old who does not) but overall we are very proud of him. He is a caller, when he gets home and all of his work is done he will call the wife and ask for a snack (as to not spoil dinner) or call me and ask if one of his friends can come in and play. So he calls me the other day and asks that his friend come over and they play Madden and I say fine as long as your work is done (it was, I check after dinner). A little while later I get another call, they want to play a PC game (and he knows my PC is off limits to friends) since there is only one friend over and I know which game I say fine, no internet and only that game on the PC.

The wife gets home early to take the boy to band practice. She walks upstairs and the boys are in my office playing the PC game they asked to play and as she sneaks in the friend sees the wife but she gives a sshhhhh motion and stands behind the boy who is into the game as it is his turn. She then gives him that smack to the head hit and he turns and instead of ouch or knock it off gives off a "What the fuck, that hurt!!" Now the friend's jaw drops and the wife sucks in all the air in the room. The friend says "Dude that was your mother." He turns red faced and stammers but the wife just says...."Zest or Irish Spring".

Fast forward to 9:30 when I pick up the boy from band. We are talking school and band and stuff when I finally tell him I heard mom came home early. He gets red and really quite and if he could of disappeared into the seat he would have. He looks and me and sadly says yes and that he said some things he shouldn't have. I look at him and break it down like this:

"I am not going to punish you, I am disappointed you use that language but you hear it all the time from me. So I am going to tell you this, you do not need that language, you are a good kid and can express yourself better than that. I am an uncouth city boy who uses language I am not supposed to. You do not have too, it is not cool and it is not needed. I know you hear it all the time on TV, music and your father. I ask that if you hear me talk like that you yell at me and that if music or movies you see or hear have that in it, rethink you choices about listening or watching those things. And the most important thing is that if you do use something like damn or crap you do not let your mother hear it. I will be upset and this is your free warning but your mother will be pissed!!!"


We talked some more and settled the problem then and there (I hope). In the meantime I have controlled my language and made an effort to clean up the Queen's English in our home. We'll see how it goes.