Well, Dam

I grew up in a household that was fairly strict about swearing, which is why I have a goody-two-shoes vocabulary that's almost comical.

But the adults around me did let cuss words slip out every once in a while, and that's how, at age 6, I exclaimed, "Damn it!" while walking through the kitchen.

I don't remember why. But I do remember that my Mom sent me to my room to think about what I'd said.

There was a problem, though. I didn't really know why what I'd said was "bad." I just knew it got me sent to my room.

A little while later, I tiptoed back down the hall and told my Mom I'd say "rats!" when I was angry, like they did in Peanuts cartoons. She said that was acceptable and gave me a hug.

I took swearing seriously after that. When the Eagles released "Hotel California," I was shocked to hear "hell" on the radio when I was in the car with my parents.

And when my family started spending vacations on a lake in New Hampshire, I was especially careful. Our cottage was close to a concrete structure that held back most of the lake water, letting a small amount overflow into a stream below. We could walk and swim to it, and sometimes teenagers would hang out there.

I called it the darn. No way was I getting caught saying "dam" again!

I called it the darn. No way was I getting caught saying "dam" again!

My dad was a little more relaxed. He didn't like swearing either, but he made an exception when Jim Croce's "Bad Bad Leroy Brown" was on the radio.

What a joy to be with Dad in the garage and sing:

And he's bad, bad Leroy Brown

Baddest man in the whole damn town

Badder than old King Kong

Meaner than a junkyard dog

Did you grow up with rules about swearing and cussing? How did you learn what the words meant? Do you use them now?