Cussing

“I know four words that have swear words in them,” Hannah says as we drive to school.  She is fascinated by profanity these days.  I’ve overheard her trading curse words with her friends like Pokemon cards.  What’s incredibly satisfying to me, though, is that they really only have about three cards among them.

I find it remarkable that Hannah has made it to second grade and is still so naive about cussing.  This is the result of sending her to a school where language is taken seriously.  Never once, in two years of dropping her off and picking her up at school, have I heard a kid swear or — more important to me — call someone gay or fag.

“Do you, now?” I say.

“Yup,” she says with satisfaction.  I wait.

“HELena,” she says.  ”HELen.  DAMage.  And ASphalt.”

Ooh, she’s bad.  That’s my girl.