Have You Ever Had A Bar Of Soap In Your Mouth?

So I asked my son and daughter-in-law the other day if they ever even threatened to wash Carter’s mouth out with soap.  At not quite 4-years old I figured that was a bit young and while they have not it appears someone has because my grandson mentioned it on a couple of occasions.

I don’t know if washing your mouth out with soap is still relevant with youngsters today but I remember it being used mainly for talking back to your mother or using profanity.  Either of those could result in a bar of Ivory making its way into your mouth which was nasty.

I would have to believe talking back to your mother still comes with ramifications but I’m not sure about profanity because it seems like “curse” words have become part of our everyday language.  There is no doubt were are cursing/swearing/using profanity more than ever and it’s not limited cable channels on your TV…it’s everywhere.  In the home, in the office, in stores, at sporting events.  Never mind the lyrics in what today is considered popular music…I guess vulgar sells.

To me though the starting point for all of this is in the home where at one time profanity was a strict no-no and often came with some form of punishment, including the previously mentioned soap-in-the-mouth.  If I did curse as a teenager it was likely a slip of the tongue and certainly not any of George Carlin’s famous “7 words you can never say on television” which by the way you can now say.

Certain words that were considered profanity have now made its way into everyday language.

Of course it all started when parents didn’t discipline their children for using profanity but used it themselves in the home.  I have to admit that I clearly cursed more around my children than my parents did and it’s not something to be proud of.  Often profanity is a last resort when your failure to use the English language properly leaves you with no choice but to drop an F-bomb to express yourself.

Shame on all of us.