To say it Out Loud or Not.
Occasionally as you are reading a book aloud to your child, or in a poetry selection if the book was published a few years back, you’ll come across words that have evolved in meaning over time. For example pussy, gay, and ass are words that in the past were commonly used in the English language. In Johnny Tremain in chapter 5 “you dirty sluts” is used in reference to two young girls. Obviously back then it was not used as it is today.
I’ve had light discussion with mothers in the past as to whether to read or have your child learn a poem with these types of original words. Some do some don’t. I can see it either way.
I personally fall on the ‘don’t read them’ side. My reasoning has been that, first, I don’t want my young children innocently repeating those words in public. It might raise an eyebrow if we visit the neighbour and call her pretty cat pussy. Or at a birthday party at the ice skating rink my child calls out ‘mom I’m having a gay time.’ It just doesn’t work anymore.
So when I’m reading I omit or change the words to more appropriate words for today. Many Bible stories use ass as well as Aesops fables. It’s easy to just read donkey. Some things need to change with the times.
As far as the Johnny Tremain selection. I was surprised to find it in there. You just can’t know everything that your children will run across. You also can’t shield them from everything. Two of my children read this book before I knew it was in there. The use of the word in this book in context is not the typical derogatory use. So that eliminates a lot of potential issues. After that, my hope is always that some things will just breeze by and, in not making a big deal about it, we can let it move out of our lives as quickly as it came in. My children are usually upper elementary or middle school when they read this book. In my opinion at that age it’s not needed to explain or discuss the word or the current definition. And it is not a word worthy to investigate the use of it in colonial era. If my children would have asked me what it meant, I would simply tell them that it is a mean thing to say, it means dirty, worthless, and low – and don’t call anyone that.