No, I told them, that was when I was in college. But that didn’t stop them from pressing on, their hearts filled with mischievous delight at the thought of dad swearing. In hushed tones, 7-year-old E asked: “Did you say the F word? The one that ends in K?” “Yup,” I admitted. “I sure did.” (4/12)

That elicited giggles aplenty. “What about the S word that ends with T?” asked the eldest. “That one too.” More giggles. But then my youngest, five-year-old K, asked, “What about the other S word? The one that ends with an ‘eeeeeee” sound?” (5/12)