Screw You!

The entire family has started playing Words With Friends (scrabble-like game via the internet) and it has been a great way to keep us all connected.  Anyway, Owen loves it because this is the only avenue that he has to TEXT! And we all quickly realized that he is a trash talker.  He plays a word, he sends you a text “take that”.  Stuff like that.  About a month ago Kaelyn called Donn really upset.  She wasn’t sure if she should laugh or if she should cry.  Owen played a word and then texted her “Screw You”.  She thought for sure Owen’s account had been hacked because there was no possible way Owen would use such language ever, but especially toward his big sister, whom he adores.

We walk into his room and ask him, "did you just text your sister, ‘Screw You’?”

Owen: “Yes”

I think at this point Donn had to walk out of the room because he could not control his hysterical laughter, yes, looking back it was so shocking it was funny.  But COME ON, he’s impressionable, we had to go in guns blazing,

Me: “Do you know what that means?”

Owen: “No”

Me: “It means you don’t like them, you want them to go away and you think they are jerk, it is a BAD word”

Owen: “oh, then screw it”

Me: “NO! that is a bad word too! The only time you should ever use the word SCREW is when you are talking about TOOLS!”

Owen: “Okay”

There was no way I was going to explain anymore definitions of screw to my 9 year old.

Fast forward about 5-10 days.  Owen explains over dinner that he is nervous about the speech that he will be giving the following day.  I am instantly irritated that over DINNER I am finding out about a speech and we are now going to have to scramble to prepare for it.  I search in his stack of papers and when I find if comment (something) and Owen responds with “atleast we’re not screwed”.  I almost lose my mind!  Dad is quick to jump into what he sees is going to because WWIII at our house and he says “you don’t realize he just repeated you do you?”

Me: Oh.

Well, don’t I feel small.