The OMG Bomb

[Skysue]

I find it offensive and truly don't like it when it is said. With that said none of us are perfect and we have all said something inappropriate from time to time, for heavens sakes we are human.

We say oh my gosh or oh my goodness and seriously what on earth is wrong with that?

Oh and my absolute favourite is ah man!

[bright sparks]

It really made me chuckle when my own kids came home from school off the bus one day a number of years ago and they told me other kids on the bus were saying the s word and the sh word, I cringed as my son was about to tell me what he heard. I turns out that the S word was stupid and the sh word was shut up...lolol phew....

I thought that Oh My God wasn't really a big deal until I heard it come out of the mouths of my children. There childhood innocence and their tiny voices made it seem so much harsher to have them say it. I find I try to reduce or avoid saying this altogether. That being said, coming from the UK where crap is a bad word, I have a hard time with how often that word is thrown around.Seems a little hippocriticle when people use that so fluently but complain about the use of OMG.

I took my 11 yr old to have xrays last week and we were given paper gowns that kept ripping and the assistant said that they were a bunch of crap. I immediatly said, excuse me what did you say and she just repeated her comment like it was no big deal. I was not happy about that but I do realize that over here in Canada it is not a big deal to say that. Another example when some irate woman decided to hurl abuse at me in Costco parking lot a couple of weeks ago said "...I dont give a shite..." and when I asked her to not use bad language in front of my daughter, she laughed at me and proceeded to tell me to grow up...and this woman was easily in her late 60's. I found that if she so easily could hurl abusive language at me it was just a reflection on her lack of education if that was her only way of communicating with me in an awkward parking lot situation that she caused because she was selfish and clearly lacking common sense.

What I'm trying to say is that I think it is a very personal opinion based on an individuals upbringing, religion and personal views. I think that any kind of disrespectful term used to upset someone or demoralize somebody is not acceptable. But I think OMG really isn't meant to conciously disrespect the Lord so people shouldn't take it as so. Although I do think that most people could do with thinking more before they open their mouths in order to show more respect for others and consider how their actions will impact others.

[little sunflower]

Although I am a Catholic I wouldn't consider myself overly religious. But I do understand why people don't like to use the phrase, "Oh my God" because to some it is taking the Lord's name in vain. I would think "oh my gosh" or "oh my goodness" should be fine though. Or just saying "OMG" like people will text I wouldn't have a problem with. Little people sure can repeat things fast though, my son was in the room when we were watching a adult drama that happened to mention the word "porn" once in a conversation and my little guy repeated the word twice right after hearing it which of course made me go cringe but I tried not to react too much as I do notice if you make too big a deal of it kids will want to say the word or phrase more. Thankfully he seemed to forget this word later so hopefully he has forgotten it.

[gcj]

My kids always talk about the sh word, too on the bus! Shut up!

[playfelt]

While a lot of the words are not very nice we have to be very careful that we don't ban too many of them - yes stupid and shut up are on the banned list but boy that one sure works fine around when we having one of those screaming matches between kids. Gets their attention real quick so we can go on with what really matters. I am not one of those paranoid ones about what is said as much as I am about how or when it is said. Any word said to another person with the purpose of hurting their feelings is wrong so whether you call them stupid or red the result is the same. Unfortunately that lesson gets forgotten with the emphasis on banned words - child gets punished for saying a word not for belittling a friend.

[Sandbox Sally]

My own children are 13, 11 and 8, and I am really not all that hung up on cussing. If they are telling a story and they swear when they get excited, I don't do much beyond giving them the side-eye or gently reminding them not to say that in mixed company. Swears are just words. I do not tolerate "oh my god", as it is affixed specifically with a deity, and I am foursquare against mocking someone's spiritual beliefs.