#$@*!#&

Somehow my son has developed the habit of swearing. Well, not exactly swearing. He says, "Oh, shuts!" I'm sure of this, as I've asked him to repeat it many times to see if it was really something less innocuous. Nope. Totally clean. I have no idea where he got this, although I suspect his dad may have guided him toward an appropriate exclamation after hearing him repeat a choice word or two.

Of course, I've used real swear words, too. The impact of this was brought home to me when I heard my then-three-year-old say "shit" as we drove home from the mall. It was cute in a way...but also not cute at all, if you know what I mean. Sort of appalling, really. I told him he wasn't to say that word, and also gave him permission to tell me not to use that word if I ever said it again. Oh, he loved having that power. ;-)

When I was a kid, my dad used to utter all sorts of nonsensical epithets. He never swore, at least not that we ever heard. Instead, he said things like "Fiddlesticks!" and "Aw, shucks!" (perhaps this is the one my son has heard and modified?) and "Dagnabbit!" That last one is among my new favorites, and I use it a lot.

But back to my son's new expression. I've got a lot of work to do today, and I'd rather be outside playing. Luckily I've had several projects to work on, but I've also been scheduling impaired and I'm behind the 8-ball. So...no playing for me until the work is done.

Oh, shuts.