MuddyPuddles

I never acquired the habit of “cussing”.  I did “cuss” a person out once, however.  I wondered what it felt like so I took advantage of an opportunity when I was really frustrated with someone to find out.  Afterwards I decided that no human being deserves that kind of treatment so I apologized and have never cussed out another person (or even the same person again, for that matter).

I NEVER “take the Lord’s name in vain”.  I don’t even like to say the slang word for fecal matter (not including “doodoo” of course (how do you spell doodoo anyway?)).  Actually, I don’t really like saying that word either, but am willing to if need be.  It has about the same degree of offensiveness as “fecal matter” (eeeeewww) to me. 

But I have only said the s_ _ _  word about 5 times in my life.  There was this one time I said it because there was just no other way to have the desired effect as that particular word could give.  It was when my youngest son was about 16, more or less, and he was going through a month long (or more) spell of just complaining about everything.  I would offer suggestions for ways he might solve his problems but he would never act on them.  He would just complain.

Finally, on one particular day, I had just had my fill of it.  I was sick of his complaining.  So, with him standing there complaining and with my wife, coincidentally, standing near by, I just calmly, but firmly said to him, “Either s _ _ _ or get off the pot!”

They both froze.  You could have heard a pin drop.  The look on both of their faces was priceless.  Their heads turned toward me.  Their eyes were big and their mouths were open and they had this puzzled look on their faces.  It was as if they were both thinking “did he just say what I thought he said?”---which made me laugh followed by laughter from my son and a brief restrained smile that momentarily escaped from the pursed lips of my proper wife.

Though such action soon required a short debate between my wife and me on whether the “d” word would have had the same effect (no doubt it wouldn’t in my opinion, but I’ll let you decide that for yourselves) my son was soon making the conscious effort to not complain.  He had been busted. 

And though I can’t prove that this incident had any impact on his attitude choices today, I can testify that, Thanks to the Good Lord, my son is not a complainer.  And for that I am truly thankful.

God Bless.  Dennis