I grew up in the wonderful state of Missouri. Some may call it misery, and I will admit I called it that as well, but now that I'm no longer living there I miss it. I guess the saying is true that you don't appreciate something until you no longer have it. While I grew up in Missouri I remember as my friends and I were just in elementary school, and we thought that it was such a horrible thing to use swear words or talk about inappropriate things. We were young and innocent, and although life wasn't great for my friends, they still had families that loved them. I remember in fifth grade walking to my house with my friend from the bus stop, and I don't remember why, but she swore. I was shocked because I never expected her to say something like that. I guess that I gave her a funny look because she turned to me and said, "My parents say stuff like that all the time. It isn't bad, and plus I'm older now, so I can say things like that." I didn't realize that there was an age where it was appropriate to swear. Then I got to middle school and everyone swore, and joked about inappropriate things. I even found myself thinking of swear words, and I hated having those stuck in my mind. So, instead of giving into peer pressure, every time a bad thought would come to mind I would sing a hymn instead. I never have sworn. 

                     Why did I tell you all that? I told you because I want you to be able to see the difference of how people treated us. Another friend, who also grew up in a home where the parents swore and drank, her and I went our separate ways in middle school. She hung out with people who pressured her into doing things that she would have never done before, and eventually in her sophomore year of high school she became pregnant, and had to drop out, and not finish her education. I'm not saying this happens to everyone that uses bad language, but I do believe that part of the reason she hung out with those people was because of the language she used, as well as the home she came from, that led to her hanging out with those people. 

                  I also knew another girl who was absolutely gorgeous. She was smart, and hardworking, but when she started talking I lost the respect that I had first had for her. Her language was crude as well as her topics of conversation. I believe that all these inappropriate words could be stopped if people wouldn't even let them become a thought. A woman named Margaret Thatcher said,

"Watch your thoughts for they become words.
 Watch your words for they become actions.
 Watch your actions for they become habits.
 Watch your habits for they become your character.
 And watch your character for it becomes your destiny.
 What we think, we become."

I believe that this statement is true, and that if we are not careful to make sure that our thoughts and words are appropriate, we can easily be led down a path that may seem fun at the moment, but will not lead to everlasting joy. The words we speak can have a huge effect on the way people see and treat us.