Don't Say that Word! by Alan Katz Illustrated by David Catrow

from goodreads

2 stars

Being a parent can be stressful at times. You are the moral authority. You are the person who needs to teach kids what is appropriate to do and say. That is a lot of responsibility. Also, there are so many options, there is no right way to behave really. Yes, there is the standard, be nice, don't hit etc. But you also have to teach them to stand up for themselves, and that might not always seem like the nice thing to do.

I find the hardest thing about all this is figuring out what words are bad or not. I have some friends who have told their kids that the word "stupid" is a swear word. Now while I totally believe that that is a word that should not be said all the time to belittle others, but sometimes, if the shoe fits you got to say it. So does it make me a bad moral authority if I don't tell my kids it is a swear word too? Others have the same rule with the term "shut up". While in general I do try to avoid saying it... again, once I am at the end of my rope it is going to slip out. (For example, when I am in the middle of cooking dinner and all three kids are trying to get my attention or are running around like a pack of hyenas in the kitchen).

I guess this is when discussions around words are important. Instead of hard fast rules, perhaps explanations and help to navigate the linguistic challenges are called for.

As with anything in life, and parenting, we just have to try and do the best we can. We can't make comparisons. We can be inspired and wish to make positive changes from what we see from others. But we should never feel dejected about ourselves because of these comparisons. And if my kids seem uncouth compared to others because they use words like butt, or fart, or stupid, well so be it. I guess we will be uncouth.

Synopsis

Michael is trying to tell his mom about the day he had at school. Just when he gets to the best parts his mom yells out, DON'T SAY THAT WORD!

My Thoughts

Ugh! I did not like this book at all. I guess kids might think its funny, but I just don't get it.

I always try to find something positive... so I guess the rhymes were pretty clever. And perhaps there are truly parents out there who don't like the word "toilet" or "burp", but like really.

The words in the book that were supposedly "bad" were words that normal people use and I don't want my kids to begin thinking they are bad. Bodily functions seem so taboo now and causes embarrassment. That is probably why there are so many digestive issues, people are embarrassed about farting and even saying that word. That passes on embarrassment to the kids who end up holding stuff in causing pain and discomfort that should not happen. Seriously people, we need to liberate these words!

So ya, this book is definitely not a favourite. And it is not because I am super prudey or anything. I initially picked it up because I was excited to see what naughty words were going to be said. But, this just left me feeling frustrated by the censorship this shows for words that are just normal.

Read it if you would like to, but I do not recommend it.