Lock away tacky language and behavior with the Tacky Box!

Thank you to Tacky Box for sponsoring this post, all opinions are my own.

I have to admit that I am a mom that will often let inappropriate words slip around my kids. I am not proud of it; however it’s a hard habit to break as an adult. Although I’ve tried to be careful around my kids, I’ve let the occasional bad word slip out. As we know, kids are little sponges and soak up everything they hear. So there have been times my kids have repeated my bad words. My four year old daughter is also in a daycare class with some sassy kids, and she’s picked up on a lot of bad words and sassy phrases that I just cringe at. Enter the Tacky Box. The Tacky Box is a creative approach to solve tacky words and phrases, that was created by a mom just like myself.

About the Tacky Box

The Tacky Box comes with a book, a wooden box that is the “Tacky Box,” a notepad, and instructions. The book is titled “Margo’s Magnificent Choice” and is about a little monkey who uses tacky words or phrases and has a hard time making friends because of it. Reading this book to your child sets the stage for the Tacky Box. At the end of the book, Margo writes down the tacky words she used, puts them in the box, and locks them away.

Using the Tacky Box

After the story, I presented my kids with their very own Tacky Box. First of all they decorated it to personalize it and make it their own. They had a lot of fun painting it together. We then sat down as a family and chose words and behaviors that were “tacky” and that we should lock away and removed from our lives. I was amazed (and quite shocked) at some of the words my kids chose for us to write down. They included things like, stupid, shut-up, I hate you, along with some of the swear words mommy uses every once and awhile. The act of writing down the word or action and placing it in the box symbolizes your child’s commitment to remove tacky words from the heart and mind.

I have to admit, I was a little skeptical about this working. The concept is really cute – but would this box actually really work? I am delighted to report that it actually has worked in our home!! In fact, it had an added bonus I wasn’t expecting – it actually helped me eliminate some of the swear words I would occasionally use! I’ve let a few slip, and my kids have reminded me that – “Mom, that word is in the box, you can’t say it!” I am quite surprised at how aware my kids are about their choice of words now. I think once the novelty of this wears off, I may take it one step further in our home, and have a “penalty” if someone uses a word in the box. Maybe something like putting a quarter in the box, or taking a toy away. But for now, it’s working great, and I am excited that our tacky language is a thing of the past!

So tell us…

How do you talk to your children about what words they choose?