h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I'm from Scotland; originally Central Belt, now living in Aberdeen. Swearing here is not a sign of ignorance, or low birth; it's a badge of cultural identity, of belonging to a social group which raises two fingers to petty (read "English") symbols of decorum and nicety.
However...
On the bus home from work, I watched with a degree of concern as a young child, no older than 4 years, assaulted her mother with a stream of invective, as part of a toddler tantrum. Everybody on the bus did their customary "stare fixedly out of the window" routine as this continued. To the credit of the mother, she did not react the way my mother would have reacted, by taking her hand off the child's backside, but challenged the child on what she had said in appropriately appalled tones.
Where this child learnt such words is not in question; rather the fact that she was able to learn them at all. I intend to modify my language, particularly in the presence of small people.

The use of four letter words and their additives are the fault of "big kids". YES us adults.Children will only repeat what they hear so it doesn't have to be the childs parents or relations who use them in order for the child to repeat them.We should look at ourselves and think before we speak especially in the presence of "small adults".REMEMBER "NOT IN FRONT OF THE CHILDREN"

I was a very young uncle. One day I had one of my adoescent friends around at the house (we were both about 15). My neice was massively attracted to the "big boys" and wanted to sit on our laps, converse with us and generally monopolise our attention. She was at a stage of speaking but not that clearly.

I said "hoot" and she repeated it. I said "honk" and she repeated it. My friend leaned over to me and barely whispered "w*nk" into my ear and she shouted "W*NK!" at the top of her lungs. My friend almost dissolved into the chair.