The Bad Word

I loved reading. Anyone surprised? One of my favorite series, thanks to Stacie, was The Babysitters Club. One of the girls in the book, Claudia, was fond of a specific phrase used to express exasperation or frustration. It also took the Lord’s name in vain. I remember reading those books, knowing they were books written for kids, and thus were clean, wholesome books. So anything in there was appropriate, right?



One day at the dinner table I learned that wasn’t actually true when I tested out my newly-learned phrase. The entire table went silent. I remember everyone just staring at me. Did Tianna really just say that? Really? I was confused. Did I say something bad? By the looks on my siblings’ faces I was sure I was in big trouble. I remember Mom taking me aside, asking where I learned that, if I knew it was inappropriate, and explaining to me why it was an inappropriate phrase. I remember being surprised that I didn’t get into trouble; I did something bad. Mom was smarter than me, though, and understood the teaching moment for what it was. She knew I had done it innocently and instead of yelling, she taught. It was that day that I really actually understood what it meant to take the Lord’s name in vain.