How Do You Cut Out Cursing?

[tararaboomdeea]

I used to swear like a sailor. It's a toughh habit to break. The ONLY thing that worked for me was to wear a rubber band on my arm and snap myself with it every time I cussed. After a couple of days, I started to think before I spoke

I still say dammit a lot and sometimes say G*d dammit if I'm really mad, which is so awful. It's something I still have to work on, but I'm MUCH better than I used to be. Emily started to talk very early and I didn't want one of her first words to be a swear

[*~Mindy~*]

i do some, i totally stopped when i got pregnant, especially after i left here and was stuck in one freakin room all day with my mom and brother...talk about insane!

anyway, i started again and dont TOO much but i still do. i have never said the god thing, i wont. i say the rest of the stuff sometimes though, thomas cusses more than i do but not nearly as much as he used to either. my gfs kids cuss more than i do, so thats kinda interesting...
i dunno how i did it, i just...stopped then. ive only cussed in front of my mom like 5 seperate times in my life though and never in front of my dads family, i dunno why, i just dont.

and i dont think pissed off or crap or freakin are bad words...much better to say that than other stuff!!

[crunchymama]

I swear like a sailor. It drives my hubby nuts.I don't know why. I grew up in a fishing town, New Bedford MA and everyone girls and guys swear. It is just normal to me. I live in NH and it just isn't as normal. lol I try but not that hard. I have never had an issue with my little ones but when my oldest was about 2 we had big issues with him swearing. He was in daycare too so it was tough.

[comfybuns]

I opened this thread figuring you were talking about getting your child to stop cursing. Try washing your mouth out with soap. LOL!

[momof4]

I grew up in a family that rarely did.. my dad, of blessed memory, used to say that there were always better ways to express yourself, and I agree. My ex did a lot, though, and I almost fell through the floor when oldest dd was 2, and dinner was late, and she said, "Where's my f#**!) spaghetti?"! Now, the worst thing you'll hear from anyone, adult to preschooler, in our home, is "drat" or "rats." I don't believe we're missing out.

OK, so here's a technique that REALLY works, for this, and for most other changes you want to make in your life.

Learning a new skill (and changing your language is learning a new skill) is, IMO, like potty learning. First, you don't even know what you've done in your diaper. Then, you know, but don't realize how to do it differently. Then, you start to learn an alternative behavior, but you still make a lot of mistakes. Gradually, you "catch" yourself more and more of the time, and sooner and sooner, until you are able to anticipate the event beforehand. If you practice enough, you'll do it without thinking. The hardest part for adults is the time when they still make a lot of mistakes. They tend to think, "I'll never be able to do this," and give up. Look for percentages. If you go from catching yourself once a week to twice a week, you've doubled your success rate, and "proven" that you really CAN make the change. Be patient with yourself!

We all work much better with reward than punishment. How about finding something nice for yourself every time you remember to change your language, instead of punishing yourself every time you forget?

Hope my is helpful.