Is It Not OK To Curse In Front Of Babies?

On last night’s episode, Amber and Gary—who are forever in an off-again-on-again state—were on a road trip when they began yet another fight. This time they were arguing about Amber’s filthy mouth (every other word is an F-bomb), with Gary begging her to stop “cussing” in front of their daughter and threatening to “take her away.” For anyone who’s been following the couple’s drama in real time, you know that CPS actually stepped in on their own—after Amber was arrested and charged with felony domestic abuse—without any formal complaints from Gary.

So is it really that bad to curse in front of babies (when compared to other behavior to which some of them are exposed)? If anything, at this stage in their daughter Leah’s development, it might not be the words that Amber uses, but the way that she says them or, rather, screams them. Kids as young as Leah can pick up on tone, and the couple even admitted earlier in the episode that the baby doesn’t like it when they fight…and she hits them when they do.