I can’t believe that I even feel uncomfortable writing this word out in this post! You guys say it all the time, and it’s continually used in current fiction. I’m sure it’s generational, but it’s not something I’m comfortable saying, or for that matter writing. This is my issue though, and I would never think of not purchasing a book simply because the author chose to use this word. Until….the other day I was introducing TumbleReadables, a read aloud database, to a class of fifth graders. While listening to the beginning of  what was labeled as an age appropriate book together as a class, the young female voice, who was reading the text, came to the sentence, “My life pretty much s*cks”, and I was taken aback;  I even questioned myself sharing this reading with the class. So my question is, “Does a word seem more offensive when it’s spoken, as opposed to written?” and “Should my criteria for what’s acceptable in audio books be different than what’s acceptable in written text?” I’d love to hear your thoughts!