Photo: TikTok
The reasoning makes sense!
By Nia Tipton — Written on Dec 04, 2022
While some parents are strict about things their children are and are not allowed to say, others, like Abbey Fickley, are a bit more lenient.
Fickley explained in a TikTok video why she lets her 7-year-old daughter, Myla, say certain words that are usually not appropriate for children to typically say on a daily basis.
Abbey Fickley was praised for her stance on letting her daughter curse in her home.
In a TikTok video, Fickley was filming her daughter as she showed off the fact that she had on two opposing socks.
"Alright, what's the problem now?" Fickley asked Myla, to which her daughter responded, "Why do I have two different socks on?"
As Fickley says that she "didn't realize the socks were different," Myla interrupts her and declares, "This is some wacky Wednesday kind of s--t, Mom."
At her daughter's dignified statement, Fickley just starts laughing, telling Myla that she's "funny" and that she'll go get her the correct matching socks.
While Fickley's video garnered several comments from users who found Myla's response hilarious, others were less than impressed that Fickley allows her daughter to curse freely.
"You just let her cuss like that?" one user asked, while another user added, "[it's not] ok for kids [because] they aren't skilled to know the difference yet."
In a separate TikTok video, Fickley explained why she allows her daughter to curse.
After receiving a barrage of comments, Fickley decided to clarify her stance when it comes to things her daughter is allowed to say.
In response to the comment asking if she lets Myla curse, Fickley responded, "Yup, sure do, babe! I'm very confident in my parenting styles, so let's talk about it."
Fickley continued, saying that about "a year or two ago" she decided to be the person in her daughter's life that would educate her on the context of swear words.
"In my home, they're actually called 'home words,' because that's what they are," she said. "They're words that are only allowed to be used at home."
Fickley pointed out that "home words" are considered a "privilege," and therefore she can revoke them anytime the need arises, which includes if Myla ever offensively uses them against someone else or against herself.
"In the past two years of teaching my daughter context and allowing her to use home words, we've never had an issue."
Fickley explained that her daughter is an extremely "well-behaved" and "polite" child that has never used curse words directed at anyone else outside of their home.
"I decided from day one that I would always be a safe space for my daughter to be able to come to me with absolutely anything and everything, and never be afraid or fearful that she's going to be in trouble."
Fickley added that while she understands not every parent was raised that way, including herself, she's "choosing to break the cycle" with her daughter.
Nia Tipton is a writer living in Brooklyn. She covers pop culture, social justice issues, and trending topics. Keep up with her on Instagram and Twitter.