General Etiquette > Family and Children

Scatalogical "Humor"

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Venus193:
I have an old friend of 26 years' standing who permits her third-grade son to tell fart jokes.  I realize that potty mouth is common among kids at toilet-training stage, but he is way beyond that.  Someone even gave this kid a "disgusting jokes" book for Christmas.

Is there any polite way to tell her and her husband that this kind of talk will be counted against their child by others?

fklwmn:
Third grade boys think farts are funny. Trust me, I have been through that phase. Recently. I don't think there is a problem with him telling fart jokes, and I don't think it's a problem that he got a disgusting joke book for Christmas.

The key to this is that they need to teach him that there are some places where those jokes are funny, and some places where they are not. On the playground at recess? fine. Goofing off with your friends in the neighborhood? Also fine. Hanigng out with Dad who also loves these jokes? Noooo Problem! At dinner? Not okay. Visiting grandma? Probably not (though that would depend on Grandma...). In polite company? Absolutely not. etc...

My guess is that if the parents aren't automatically doing this, then they don't REALIZE that these jokes aren't always appropriate, which seems like a much bigger problem to me. I think I'd just make a face and say something like "Oh, that's gross. I really don't want to hear about farts while I'm eating/having drinks/visiting/whatever. Why don't you save those jokes for your friends?" You can even follow up with "Oh, you'll love THIS joke!" and follow it up with a more appropriate one, if the situation suits.

Venus193:
I suspect that the Miss Manners Glare might work on the parents.

I'm on record as saying that this is the one thing I hold against George Carlin, whom I think is otherwise a genius.

Hawkwatcher:
I do not think that you can say anything to the parents without them interpreting your comments as criticism of their parenting.  They might especially be offended by your comments if you do not have children.   

Chocolate Cake:
I agree that it wouldn't be in your best interest to take the parents to task over the broader implications of encouraging their son to be crass.  You can, however, make a sour face each and every time the kid shares one of these treasures with you and say, "I don't find fart jokes funny.  Do you have any other kind of jokes?  You know, like a joke you could tell your minister or your Grandma?" 

If he says something like, "I did tell my Grandma this joke!"

You can look at his Mother and raise an eyebrow and concerned, "Really? You talk like that to your Grandma?" and then, "Let's talk about something nicer.   What else did you get for Christmas?"

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