Removing "No Offense" From My Vocabulary

Andy has gotten really bad about saying "no offense", but in a very offensive way. For example, this afternoon he said to my dad, "Your belly is really fat. No offense.". No offense? Sorry kiddo, but that's offensive. He does it all the time. Charlie and I have tried again and again to tell him that just because he says "no offense" does not mean that it's okay to say it. It also does not mean that it's not offensive. In fact, when discussing it this evening I told him if he felt the need to say something and is going to follow it with "no offense" then he probably just shouldn't say it at all.

No matter how many times we tell him this, he just doesn't get it. Of course, he is only seven, but you'd think after awhile it would start to sink in. We've made several other comparisons to show him what he's saying is wrong, such as "Andy, you're ugly. No offense." or "Andy, you smell. No offense." or "Andy, you're not very smart. No offense.", but generally the little lesson we are trying to teach just makes him mad. I wonder why?

It's kind of made me think about how often I use that term, and I've come to the conclusion that I'm just going to eliminate it from my vocabulary. The more I hear him say it, the more I realize that there really isn't a time when you can say "no offense" without being offensive. I'm sure you can provide a few examples, but in general, it's not a very nice way to end a sentence or phrase.

It's funny how when you have a child they are a clean slate. If you think about it, it is truly amazing that they know NOTHING and you have to teach them EVERYTHING. Even things that seem so simple have to be taught at least once before they understand how the world works. I am constantly amazed by this fact. There are so many things my kids still don't know and I get to teach them. What if I mess it up? What if I teach it wrong? I guess when they finally figure out that I didn't do it correctly, I can always reach back into my unused vocabulary and say, "I'm sorry I turned you into such a dumb ass. No offense.".