Aussie mum responds after being slammed for swearing in front of kids on TikTok: 'Get over it'

An Aussie mum has recently found herself at the centre of a whirlwind of controversy after posting a TikTok video that captured she and her husband using some colourful language in front of her kids. But, far from apologising, she's standing firm in her defence of their parenting style.

"After posting my last video, I didn't realise how many people have an issue with swearing around kids," Sarah Bullock, who regularly shares mum life content on the platform, admitted, her tone reflecting a hint of disbelief.

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So, let's rewind and provide some context. The original TikTok captured the couple's first outing with their three young kids, showing the parents in the car expressing their unfiltered thoughts about the challenge of getting all three kids into the car and ready to go.

In the 40-second video, the f-word is dropped no less than five times, and it finishes with a c-bomb as the kids laugh in the backseat.

'It's because of where we live'

"I live in the top end of Australia, the Northern Territory," Bullock explains. At this point she's interrupted by her husband, who walks into the room while she's filming, and she jokingly tells him, "People have an issue with you saying c*** in front of the kids."

"So, because of where we live," she continues after sharing a laugh with her husband, "and the languages that are used here just frequently, I guess....we just teach our kids there's kid language and there's adult language, and you don't use adult language."

She elaborates that while she's never had an issue with any of her children swearing, they know there's a time and a place for it. "Every now and then, Ella, being the oldest, she'll drop something, in a funny way, and we allow it to happen," she says. "But she knows that there is adult language and kid language, and she knows her limits."

Parenting unfiltered

And why do they choose to parent this way?

"Unfortunately, the world isn't censored," Bullock explains. "You parent how you want to parent your children, we'll parent how we wanna parent our children. Obviously, for that video, my husband was turning it on because he's a show pony and he has no filter, but typically we don't drop the c-bomb in front of them; that's probably saved for a special occasion."

"But yeah, we swear in front of our kids and they don't have potty mouths," she concludes with a chuckle.

Surprisingly, TikTok users have thrown their support behind the couple, with many suggesting that swearing in front of kids could actually desensitise them to it, resulting in them being less likely to use such language themselves.

'Time and place'

"I think hearing it all the time takes away from the 'omg' factor of swearing so they don't feel the need to repeat it," one person wrote, capturing the sentiment of many others.

"If they never hear it and one day they do... they are bound to start swearing," agreed another.

Said another, "No such thing as bad words only bad intentions! That’s what we are teaching our kids."

"Teaching them the time and place to use these words is so much more helpful than pretending these words don't exist," someone else shared their opinion, while another questioned, "they hear it at school so why hide it from them?"

Others shared their own experiences with swearing around their kids and how it has not resulted in their children becoming 'potty mouths' in the slightest.

"My son is 17….. been hearing all the F’s & C’s his whole life and still asks permission if he’s talking to me & believes his next sentences needs to have a swear word in it," one parent said.

"I have always swore around my kids they are now older teens and very rarely swear and if they do they actually ask if they can swear before they do," another shared.

An Aussie parenting norm?

Among the comments, a prevailing sentiment emerged suggesting that swearing without censorship is simply part of Australian culture.

"It's the same in our household," remarked one commenter, while another admitted, "I swear like crazy in front of my kids."

One individual even mentioned that such language is "the norm" in Australia. Comments from people claiming to be from every state in the country supported this notion, all asserting that they're the same.

"Bottom end of Australia, and we swear just as much, must be an Aussie thing!"

One social media user, however, defied the overarching sentiment and suggested perhaps the original poster is being naive in thinking the kids aren't swearing.

"Maybe not around you, but I assure you, they do it too."

Meanwhile, not everyone was supportive of the couple's approach. Some expressed disdain for their language choices, particularly focusing on one word.

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"It's disgusting, just because you live there, doesn't mean you say c*** in front of kids. Gross behaviour," criticised one commenter.

"So classy. What great role models you are. Your parents must be so proud," mocked another.

"Swearing I can take, but the C word is disrespectful," said another user before someone else concluded: "Did you just say the c word? That's a big no."

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