Unprintable Words

We started a new family read aloud tonight. Cheaper by the Dozen by the Gilbreths. The first two chapters had us howling although I had to do a couple quick edits of sacrilegious language on the fly. I’m quite good at this and the kids don’t usually realize any different. Tonight there was a cute little exchange though when I read this;

“Once a neighbor complained that a Gilbreth had called the neighbor’s boy a “son of an unprintable word”.

All of my kids routinely put their hands over their mouths and smirked and snickered and the Poppet’s eyes got round as she admitted “I know that word.”

Silence all around.

“You do?” this from the woman who up until this moment believed her 7 year old daughter still possessed an untainted vocabulary thanks to a rather sheltered existence.

“Oh yeah.” eyes still wide.

“Well, how do you know this word?” I ask hesitantly.

“Oh MOMMY. EVERYBODY knows that word.” with a little roll of her eyes.

“And that word would be….?” I ventured, still refusing to believe the worst.

Eyebrows raise. Head pulls back. “You want me to SAY it?” she queries.

“Um. Yes….?”

“Well…. I won’t say the exact word, but I will say a synonym.” (on one hand I am thinking YES. My first grader has a working handle on what a synonym is. Whoot Whoot! On the other hand…. )

“Okay…”

“Son of a PISTOL!” she exclaims.

Now, why didn’t I see that coming? Seriously.