What does a “bad word” mean, and why does the most ordinary word sometimes become bad? It is not always easy for children to understand this.
“Can you say the word “turd”?
Tanya, 5 years old
Anna Skavitina, children’s analyst:
“Tanya, if you ask me about this, it means that one of the adults allows you to say this word, but someone does not allow it. And it’s hard to figure out: is it possible or not? “Turd” in itself is a word as a word. It becomes bad when someone suddenly calls you that. This is very annoying! All people know different words. Including those that sometimes become bad. And no one can forbid you to know them. But it is important to remember: words can cause different feelings in people, including evil. When you and your friends talk about poop and the toilet on the street, it can be funny. When you fall and it hurts, then some “bad word” seems to fly out of you by itself. Then it becomes a little easier and a little less painful. Sometimes you want to say a bad word just like that. It is better to do this when no one is around. Because not everyone may be pleased to hear such a word. But when you or someone deliberately calls another person a rude or funny word to offend, tease, make you cry, then this word becomes really bad. And you definitely shouldn’t do that. Because it’s very embarrassing. Nobody wants to be bullied.”