When they're smart enough to know when it's inappropriate to use those naughty words, right? What age is that?

35?

Which is entirely dependent on the individual kid and the parents' definitions of what constitutes swearing.

Oh yeah. My kids learned all their swear words from me, while I was driving usually.

Sara's at a weird age where she thinks it's scandalous to say "hell." Ben has known for a long time when it's not appropriate to drop the f-bomb, so he's not an issue. But Sara would be horrified to hear Cee-Lo singing, "Fuck you," so for now, it's better for me to listen to that version without her around.

My kids learned all their swear words from me, while I was driving usually.

Ditto, except I'm usually the pedestrian screaming at stupid drivers. As far as Dylan is concerned, the appropriate response to someone almost running you over is to shout "THAT WAS A RED LIGHT YOU ASSHOLE!!!" Which, honestly, is just fine with me.

tommyrot - I cannot believe that I am older than that black hole.

My kids learned all their swear words from me, while I was driving usually.

I'm pretty sure that's where I learned mine! I also remember my mother trying to stop calling other drivers "jerk off," when I really I had no idea why, because jerk wasn't really a bad word.

tommyrot - I cannot believe that I am older than that black hole.

Heh. Yeah, I was thinking the same thing.

I also remember my mother trying to stop calling other drivers "jerk off," when I really I had no idea why, because jerk wasn't really a bad word.

I learned it from my dad while he was driving! And then he blanched when I asked what it meant, and mumbled something and changed the subject.

My first word was "Asshole," Someday, my real dad, Denis Leary, is going to come get me. My mother bent over backward to keep profanity from me, considering how much she uses it. I think she worried about it a bit too long...I was well on my way to being a very special snowflake. Now, that I'm older I understand a little better...Mom grew up in the hood, across the street from the scary, drug-selling, bodega...she was just giving us her best shot at couth and protection, and then what do I wind up asking her about? The scary drug market and her boyfriend that used to steal codeine cough syrup.

Heh.

I also remember bragging to other kids in 5th grade that I knew all the swears and how to use them.

My parents still don't swear in front of me. A few years ago, my dad started to tell me a joke and got part way into it, stopped and looked at my mom. She said, "Oh, good heavens, she's 37, I think it's okay to swear in front of her." So then my dad finished the joke, loaded with a single F-bomb. The joke wasn't so funny, but my dad not wanting to swear in front his full grown adult daughter was pretty funny.