Toxic words & Day 105. 260 Days Left.

A few letters strung together can do so much damage, they can carry enormous weight. Addison has recently picked up a few phases that I wish she would soon forget.

While at a birthday party Addison was spraying a little boy with a water toy (not a water gun) while spraying him she said “hahaha I am killing you.” The hubby was there and corrected her by saying “no you are squirting him.” She retorts “no I am killing him.” He mentioned that is not a word we use and repeated “you are squirting him.” I was embarrassed and disappointed but mostly mortified when he came in and told me. The hubby and I do not use this word so where on earth did she pick it up?

It was the following day that I realized exactly where she learned to use the word KILL. I exposed her to it with the DVDs and shows I allow her to watch.

While sitting on the sofa, watching Curious George on PBS, I was shocked the moment I heard Bill, George's neighbor from across the street in the country, referring to his wet and damaged boat “I just killed my homework”. Seriously? Why not broke, destroyed or ruined?

Oliver and Company

“Come on, you guys don't scare me. I'll kill you both”. “I’ll kill ‘em, I’ll kill ‘em, I’ll kill ‘em”. Spoken by Tito the tiny Chihuahua with anger issues.


Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

One of the first and most famous Disney films, I was excited to share this story with my daughter when it was taken out of the vault and sold again. Though Addison didn't hate it, it was another Disney film that I wish I'd avoided until she was a bit older. The woodsman who was sent to kill Snow White was scary for her, as was the scene where she was running through the woods before she found the dwarfs. The moment he held the ax up she told me “maybe this isn’t a good one mommy”. Fair enough.

Charlotte’s Web

Just before breakfast Fern (the little girl) asked her mother where her father was going with the ax. Her mother explained that pigs were born the night before and one was a runt. She explained that it would never amount to anything and would probably die. She told her that father was going to “do away with it”.

Fern (the little girl): "Do away with it?" "You mean kill it? Just because it's smaller than the others?"

As she is running outside shrieking “Pa-pa don’t kill it”. The kicker… "But it's unfair, the pig couldn't help being born small, could it? If I had been very small at birth, would you have killed me?"

There is a long list of other movies and TV shows intended for young children that also use the word kill along with a multitude of other inappropriate language… I’ll hurt you, hate, die and Garfield’s favorites and shut-up… you get the point. I never imagined myself as an uptight over-protective mom screening EVERYTHING my children watch; especially when they are G rated movies and programs aimed for toddlers and preschoolers. I just find it very disappointing. Discouraging.

Why am I ranting about this when I have written about a number of swear words that Addison has grown accustomed to using? Well, because there is something so final about the word kill. This day and age the word thrown around can cause a magnitude of damage.

I want my family to be responsible and I want to raise self-responsible children in positive environment so we are trying to eliminate negative words all together. After all, there is nothing cute about a three year old saying “hahaha I am killing you.”

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION:
These are my sole opinions and concerns as a mother of two toddlers. I have no connection to nor was paid by the brand or product described in this content. The above quotes are accurate.
picture courtesy of www.nmm.ac.uk
________________________________________________________
Day 105
Outdoor Play