I remember reading once while pregnant that you should never refer to your kids in any way that you do not want them to refer to others. This make perfect sense with profanity, of course. You don’t want them to go up to someone else and say, “Hey, you little ____”. Or start calling people bodily functions because you think that’s cute (so not even my sense of humor, but I know quite a few kids that will grow up thinking “booger” is part of their name.)
As I lay there thinking of all of the words that I would not use to refer to my child, I clearly remember thinking “dude” should be on the list. I didn’t think it would be very respectful for them to go up to someone and call them dude.
This was when I dreamt of happy smiles and beautiful laughter filling my well organized and sparkling house where my children never fought and were just the perfect little angels twenty-four hours a day. Then, reality hit! Well, more specifically, little humans wanting to have their own way hit. After that, my expectations and expressions changed quickly. Mind you, I do not usually cuss like a sailor (depending on who you ask, that is), but I do have my moments when it feels like there is just no other option. And now, the only way I can refrain from screaming obscenities, accidentally cursing out of excitement or just not knowing what else to say is by substituting all of that with one simple word: DUDE! So to all of you that dude your kids, I totally get you!
Here is what I might be trying to say when I dude my kids:
So to all you mamas and papas, feel free to dude your kid. At least it shows we are paying attention, right?
What is your go-to word?