Bathroom humor, to a kid there is nothing more funny. With jokes that start from a grandfather saying, “Hey, pull my finger” to siblings seeing who can outdo one another in volume, sound, or smell. The question arises at some point, when has bathroom humor gone too far?

How to Tame a Potty Mouth?

Is Bathroom Humor o.k. or Should it be flushed down the toilet altogether?

I remember as a kid thinking the best song ever started with “Beans, beans they are good for your heart, the more you eat the more you —-. Yes even now I feel too guilty to write that word, but I’m sure many of you are singing along. David once had a bar of Life Boy soap stuck in his mouth for saying that f–t word. But let’s face it.

Smelly body functions are just a part of life!

Not only do they send our olfactory senses into shock but they also come with crazy noises. We tease little babies about stinky diapers before they can even sit up and sometimes you just have to pick laughing or crying. Since laughter is according to the Bible “good medicine” I think I will choose laughter.

Bathroom HUmor in our home went through various stages.

• Our first rule was bathroom words stay in the bathroom.Words such as body parts or things that come out of body parts were only to be mentioned in the lavatory. Thus they became known as bathroom words or potty words.

• The older my children got the harder it was to keep these words in the bathroom. They became punch lines to jokes, tricks to play on one another or a funny way to laugh off an embarrassing moment.

We have tried to teach our kids wisdom in this matter and have taken advantage of an opportunity to train them on what is appropriate when and where.

Remember #1 and #2

Number 1 – The PP rule!

Always polite never pointless or rude

• Polite – Never make fun of someone in a way that would hurt their feelings. Don’t call someone out and embarrass them in front of peers. It is o.k. to laugh with someone but not to laugh at them. Treat others the way you would want to be treated.
• Pointless – Sudden outburst of potty lingo is not a good choice. Example – My youngest once belted out in his loudest Disney singing voice to the tune of Let it Go with a few words changed. “Got to poot, got to poot, can’t hold it back anymore”, was the tune I heard being sung from downstairs. I quickly shut that song down and he went on to sing something much nicer:).

Number 2 – 2 places we ALWAYS refrain from using our potty mouth.

1. Do not use that language at the table
2. Do not use it in public (school, church, grocery store) It is best to keep those types of jokes at home.

We have all been in places and accidentally dropped an air biscuit at some point in our lives. It is good for kids to know how to laugh at themselves but also not to make fun of others. Just as with most things in life moderation is key. A little bit of this type of humor at home or among close friends is o.k., but if you don’t use guidelines you might end up with a potty mouth that keeps overflowing. And no body likes to clean that up!

Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them. Ephesians 4:29

When it comes to bathroom humor each family must set their own boundaries.

Obviously this is something that each family will decide for themselves. What are your boundaries when it comes to bathroom humor? I say as long as it is not foul (pointless and rude) or abusive (making fun of someone else or being disruptive in a class) that sometimes it can be helpful. Such as an innocent comment letting someone else know that they are not the only ones, or laughing with someone to ease their embarrassment.

What are your thoughts?

Keeping it Real,

Madaline McFartland 🙂