Love it!  Spare words!!!!  So cute!

Ok, handling it isn't that easy, but if the words are used, then just explain that they are hurtful to people.  Although, I don't know how I'm going to react when we start having this issue here.

Some good points. Cheers.

My daughter is 3 and has already asked me that.  What I've told her is that some people say those words because they are upset and don't know how to talk nicely.  But those are words that we do not use as they hurt peoples feeling.  She got it right away and has never asked me what words are bad.  When she says something that is not appropriate, I just remind her that we don't talk like that and that that word is very hurtful to say.  I don't think your little one will try to find out what words are bad, but it's better to learn now that there are words that are not acceptable, then to hear them at school, or where ever and be told nothing, by this she might think that they are ok to say, and that would encourage her to want to say them.  But by telling her sooner then later, and only when she hears a bad word, tell her it's a hurtful word, she'll learn not to say it. 

Lets just say, I have had to learn to hold my tongue a fair bit since I realized that my son and anyone else's kids for that matter copy every thing you do....

I used to be really good at holding it in around adults and children, and at the time I did not have any kids when I came here to Canada, and to the French the "F" word means nothing.  They have other more colorful and pretty sounding swear words...  Anyway so as I hung around my French family the "F" word started to slip a little to easy....

Then my son came along, wow what a difference it made when I first heard him say it...  And his fathers more colorful ones...  (I must admit that hearing them come from his mouth were both a shock and a "Oh that sounded so cute" feeling at the same time.) But it had to be stopped.. And I did...

I just said that the words were not nice for Children or even adults to use, but if someone is going to use them it would be the adults as it is a bad word to use... And now that I myself have become good at holding it in around children, every time my hubby swears my son says to him " Papa that's a bad word." And I have not heard him use it for a very very long time...

My son is 3 years old and in preschool. There was a new boy a few months ago, and after that boy joined the class, some bad/rude words started appearing at our house. The words were "stupid", "shut up", and some others I can't remember now.

Granted, these are not swear words, but we treat them as if they are. The first thing I told my son was to not use words like this (especially "shut up") because they are rude words and they are not nice. It makes someone feel bad and it makes them not want to play with him anymore.  I would have used this explanation if the words were swear words.

I think you can explain swear words by explaining how the words make others feel and drive that point. You don't need to go and tell them the actual words.

I am terrible at swearing ad it wasnt until my son said F*** one day i realised it. So I sat him down and explained what they are and that they are for mums and dads to say not little kids. I also told them that it is in contex to. so if they do swear they use it properly. they also never swear anywhere else apart from at home and around me and my hubby.