I'm not judging Peggy's parenting or anything, because I really respect the fact that she actually is parenting her child. But the fact of the matter is, Junior will hear these cuss words no matter what. I bet anything that he hears it from his friends at school. I know when I was that age, it was very common. There's really no escaping it. The important thing is to teach him (and our own kids) why they are wrong and how to behave, regardless of what others are doing. Easier said than done, I know. Just my opinion, though.
Opinions are always welcome. However, until you've parented a child with Autism, you don't realize the unique challenges that their parents face.
I do know that my child will hear curse words no matter what. But I can (and will/do) control where and how he hears them. Sometimes it is inescapable, you are absolutely right. But the rest of the time, it is my responsibility to filter (for lack of a better word) what he sees/hears, etc.
A lesson in dealing with a child with ANY form of Autism - but especially a child with Asperger Syndrome (AS), and I'm sure that Kim will back me up on most of this:
Most kids with AS are highly intelligent, sometimes overly inquisitive, usually obsessed with 2 or 3 items or subjects (my sons' obsessions are Hot Wheels, weather, and anything electronic), very impulsive, and lack "filters" - especially at this age (he's 11).
Now, when I say they lack "filters", I mean that what goes in, comes out. In my sons' case, there is NO thinking about what you're going to say before you say it. He simply is not capable of considering his words or actions, nor their consequences. AS kids are also very impulsive. My son happens to be on the very high end of impulsivity. If he thinks it, he either says it or does it. There is no filter in between.
SO, as you can see, this poses its own set of issues for what I can permit my son to watch or listen to. At least until he's older and has had more training, and more time with his therapists, to learn those things that, to most "normal" kids, come naturally. A child without AS would think "Oh wow if I said that my mom would whip me!".
A child with AS wouldn't think. They hear "F***" and they
say "F***", then wonder why you got mad, and why is it wrong to say that word in the first place, and why are there consequences for saying a word that you didn't know was bad, and why is it bad, anyway?
Soooooo, now I hope that you can understand a bit better (I know you do Fred) why sometimes I obsess about some things, and why it's not
always possible to deal with my sons' behavior the way most parents can deal with their kids' behavior. TRUST me, he doesn't get away with much. Not much at all. But as my granny always said, sometimes you have to pick your battles.
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