Dear BBY…

I’m really struggling with swearing. I have got into a terrible habit of swearing and I don’t realise half the time. I tell others off for swearing IE partner, but when I do it I don’t realise. How can I stop this? I really don’t want my daughter to copy me!

From our anonymous poster.

Hi there, mummy!

Habits are so hard to break once they’ve become entrenched, I’m definitely relating to your struggle. One tip I can really help with is giving yourself ‘negative reinforcement’. Each time you catch yourself swearing, do something that you may not perhaps enjoy – a swear jar, an elastic band around your wrist that you snap (not painfully, just a sensation that your brain will memorise), removal of a treat you enjoy…

With consistency, your brain will become conditioned (hence the psychological term operant conditioning which can also be done for positive reinforcement) and you’ll hopefully have broken the habit. I hope this helps – let’s see what our parent followers suggest too!

Love from Katie. Xx

Share your own advice for this mummy in the comments!