What adult doesn't remember hearing the words, "If you say that word again, I'll wash your mouth out with soap!" I had it done numerous times when I was younger (I was one mouthy youngun, can you imagine that?).
However, this is something I have never had to do nor would do. With the allergies my oldest son has, we're lucky if he can even USE soap to wash with, much less have it in his mouth!
Yet, although I have never intended to use soap for the purpose of "washing out a mouth" I have used that as a consequence of potty mouths. When my older two were younger, they each let a foul word come out of their mouths. The first thing I did was to explain that it was a naughty word and they shouldn’t say it. The second time they said it, I told them that if they used that word again, I’d have to wash that word out of their mouth with soap. I still remember each time I told one of my children this. They looked at me with wide eyes and a look of shock! They each asked several questions about it…..how it would taste, which soap would I use, etc etc. Needless to say, neither child ever said the word in question again.
Enter……….Pookie. Today, while his speech therapist was here, he climbed in my lap and asked me to call her a not so nice name. I looked at him and told him that if he said that word again, I’d have to wash it out of his mouth with soap. I didn’t stop to think it through. I’d done it with two other children with great results, what was there to think about?
But, as with all things, Pook’s way of interpreting information isn’t the same as ours. He hopped off my lap, looked at me and very serious said, “OK, wait here. I’ll go get the soap!” He then smiled and ran off to my bathroom. I joked with the speech therapists about his response. As he came bounding out of my bedroom on his way into the living room I was appalled! Pookie had a bar of soap in his mouth and was vigorously scrubbing his tongue. I herded him back to the bathroom thinking of all the horrible germs that were on that bar of soap! I took Pook to the sink and proceeded to wash out his mouth with water and have him wash his hands. He however didn’t see the need. Why wash his mouth? He just wanted to go play.
Today’s lesson is a lesson I’ve already seen a thousand times……… don’t say anything you don’t want done around Pook!
I’m just hoping that no one ever looks at him and says, “If your friend jumped off a bridge, would you?”
He needs no more ideas!
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