Vocabulary Building - Curse Words

Do you remember when you learned your first curse words?  Personally, I was quite "in the know" while I was attending daycare.  I vividly recall standing in a small circle with two or three others, away from the rest of the kids, while we went through all the words we knew.  So - that would make me about four or five years old and my friends as well - it was daycare.

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My extended family was helpful in giving me an early education.  My one Uncle had a preferred saying while he was working on his motor bike.  He said "F'n B" (in its entirety) a lot and  I picked it up.  And according to the stories my mother tells, my great Aunt was a bit of a ... hmmm, how to put this... ah, she was a "pot stirrer". 

My great Aunt used to try to make me drop the F-bomb in public.  Much to her satisfaction I would eventually oblige just to get her to stop asking me to say it.  So I know exactly where I managed to build my vocabulary for curse words and like any community-minded individual, I shared this knowledge with other children at daycare and they in turn shared with me.

Those memories of sharing with other kids don't really help when your own little angels start throwing these words out randomly.  I don't think I've heard either O or E use them, but they're ten and eleven - I'm pretty sure they know a good deal of curse words; after all, they went to daycare (yes, I totally associate daycare with learning curse words).  No, the one who's used them most in my presence and other's is Aaron, who is seven, who has definitely taught Hunter, who is three. 

The first time I heard of Aaron using it was, surprise, surprise: at his dayhome.  He and his bff, another little boy, were apparently dishing out "you're such a little B" "no you're a little B" "no you are" when they were busted by the caregiver.  Again, we had a chat about appropriate language use via situational context but that hasn't seemed to go far with him.

Now I'm not saying Aaron is the sole educator but the few times Hunter has blessed us with a jaw-dropping gem, Aaron was the only one he was with prior to the bomb (and since O and E have been away the last week, Hunter's picked up a new one - the compound "A" word. You do the math).

I took a cue from my brother-in-law on the kids using curse words.  He has the position that the kids are going to learn them and they're going to say them so his idea is to educate them about when and where it is appropriate to use them; "in context, and not in front of your Mom/Grandma/Aunt".  I get this since I used them at a young age and aside from the times these came out at the behest of my great Aunt, or in frustration at a doctor's office (any mother's proudest moment), once I was old enough I was taught that I shouldn't use them in front of my family.

I realize there are some kids wouldn't dream of using them - like those lucky homeschoolers who have zero interaction with the outside world. Have you seen Blast From the Past?  It's an extremely amusing take on a child being influenced only by his parents.  Aside from it being super funny, it makes you realize what a difference it would make if we were able to be the sole influence in our children's lives.

Hunter doesn't tend to swear really; his word is "stupid" and I hate it.  Since we've made such a big deal about it, he says it often - mostly when he's mad at me so I know he's doing it on purpose.  When he dropped the F-bomb, we said nothing - of course, the shock hardly allowed for words at that point.  He hasn't said it again (to my knowledge). 

I don't usually ask for comments (though they are welcome!), but I'm curious - is it just me and my experiences thinking this is totally normal?  I know the majority of my readers come from Facebook and you might need a Google+ account to comment here, but really - is it just me???