No More "Penis": Should Parents Ban Words From Children's Vocabulary?

Mommyish blog contributor Carinn Jade noticed that her three-year-old is learning more than the ABCs and how to share at preschool. The influence of his new peers has introduced new school-savvy vocabulary, and she’s not completely comfortable with him using the language he's picked up, such as "penis," "winning," and "girlfriend."

While she doesn’t believe that words like “penis" are harmful to young children, she questions the way they learn to use such words as a trigger or to get a reaction. “At three years old, he doesn’t fully comprehend or can’t use that word the way it’s meant to be.”

Jade discussed the influence of school and peers on vocabularies with Alicia Menendez on HuffPost Live, and shared her thoughts on whether parents should attempt to yank certain words out of children’s speech.

They were joined by Lisa Belkin, HuffPost Senior Columnist, mothers Jenny Feldon and Diane Mizota, Holly Cashman, Associate Professor of Linguistics at the University of New Hampshire, and Matthew Dicks, an elementary school teacher and father.

Watch the clip above and the full segment on HuffPost Live.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.