Parents seek help as expletives become common among kids

GURGAON: Most parents fret when their child picks up a foul word. But they feel there isn`t much they can do about it. Or is there? Thirty city parents on Sunday invited a child and adolescent psychology expert and conducted a workshop to discuss the issue.

While some parents said children pick up expletives from senior students in schools, many blamed Bollywood movies and songs for the increased use of abusive slang in day-to-day life. Shweta Vaid, mother of a six-year-old girl said, "My husband and I don`t use curse words at home; children pick up abusive slangs in schools. It is difficult to explain to the child why such words shouldn`t be used.

" "Usage of bad language is a major cause of concern among parents. Though the issue active participation of schools and the community, we as parents, should know how to deal with the issue," Anil Sharma, another parent, said. Child and adolescent psychiatrist, Dr Kavita Arora said it starts when children start imitating words they hear but don`t understand the meanings of.

She explained the various ways of working with children and young adults, so that even if they get exposed to foul words, they refrain from using them in a social context. "Letting kids know the meanings of the words and telling them why they are improper, is one of the best ways of tackling the issue. Also, we can provide them with some alternatives like, instead of using the word, `s**t`, we can tell them to use `fish`.

Kids should understand the consequence of using inappropriate words," she said. Parents also discussed various `acceptable` slangs. The group`s motive is to help parents understand child psychology and create a body of knowledge on issues and concerns that are commonly ignored in the society.

The workshop was provided free of charge to parents..

News Courtesy:Times of India