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I would further refine them from "adult" words to "coarse" words. Everyone needs to know when to be polite and when to be coarse as various situations require.

I would further refine them from "adult" words to "coarse" words. Everyone needs to know when to be polite and when to be coarse as various situations require. (It's a social skill.) Furthermore, they need to be capable of being polite when required. As a child, you can't be allowed to be coarse all the time because learning politeness takes practice and work, so it'd be like skipping your homework in this area. At some point, hopefully you've mastered that, and then can be a responsible person (probably an adult) who applies things as appropriate.

bscphil 6y ago
This is a really good take, and in my opinion strikes a needed balance between two extreme opinions that seem to be dominating this thread: "Swear words don't matter at all, they're just words like any other word. You should teach them to your children and allow them to swear at home. Everyone should be able and willing to swear at all times and in all situations, even during diplomacy missions." "Swear words are only used by ignorant and stupid people, because they immediately reveal that you have no better vocabulary for the situation. I don't use swear words ever, because I, an intelligent person, am always in control of my emotions and have a total grasp of the vocabulary of my native language." Obviously these positions are exaggerated for comedic effect, but you do see some comments come pretty close! In my opinion, both fail to realize that in the normal course of human life we encounter a wide range of situations that call for formality or casualness. Not being too uptight about one's language can help smooth the latter, and it doesn't mean one isn't able to precisely control one's language in the former.