The day was so beautiful I could not resist taking my daughter Angela to the park to play. It was one of those springy almost summer days where the sun is hot and the breeze is cool.

It makes you yawn because the air is so fresh and the day seems so dreamy. A bunch of people were there with all sorts of kids playing.

Other moms were like me sitting on the park bench soaking up the sun and watching as the kids went from slides to swings and back again.

Listening as the kids played near me. I was about bowled over by the language this little 3 year old boy was using.

I looked around to see if any of the parents were about to claim him and deal with his bad mouth. But no one was making a move.

I kept listening and finally when he told this one other kids to "Suck his ...." I jumped up and walked over to where they were playing. I told him to not use bad language. It was not allowed at public parks. Then he told me to "F.....Off."

At about that time I turned to the other parents and asked who was the special person that this little guy belonged too? At first no one wanted to claim him. I could understand why. Then this young mom stood up and said that's my son.

I stepped away from the kids and I asked her where he got his colorful language from? We talked a bit and I told her that if she wanted him in pre school in our city that she would have to break him from those words before signing him up. Our City will send him home if he says such things.

I also told her that if she exposes him to people who use those words then brings him to play groups, she is exposing other people's children to the words with out realizing it.

She was a very nice lady. I was surprised to hear that the child's granddad was the culprit who used such language around her son. He was picking up a lot of things that granddad would say or do.

Some of it was funny. The reality was granddad needed a kick in the pants and would have to help break his grandson now of all those bad words.

I began thinking how little people are like sponges. They soak up so much information into their little minds. We never know what is going to come out of their mouths next. That is part of the joy of having a toddler. They can be so amazing at times. And, like we learned today very shocking.

I was sure that this kid's granddad had to be a dirty old man using such language. Especially around his young grandson. Come to find out granddad ran the local brake shop in town. Granddad would babysit whenever his daughter needed to go to an appointment where she could not take her baby. So the little boy was exposed to a lot of male work shop talk. Not a good thing at all for a toddler.

I gave the young mom a list of good baby sitters that I knew of in the area. Some of whom sit free for unemployed moms. So we had solved the baby sitting need and the bad influence subject in one small conversation.

Now to retrain her toddler from saying the bad words. Keeping him from hearing them again is one plus. Keeping him from saying what he already knew was another issue.

I don't think spanking is a good idea for retraining a child. I suggested taking away his favorite toy or giving him time out as a way to stop him from saying the words. I also told her to let him know the words were bad. To never laugh at him. Laughter just reinforces the negative behavior.

Anyone out there with any other good thoughts on how to stop a toddler from using bad language? Please feel free to give us your ideas. I will pass them on to our young mom and role model for her son.