I’m an atheist, and my 5-year-old son keeps saying ‘oh my god!’ as an exclamation (he heard it from a girl up the street who says it). I think I ought to teach him that he should not say ‘oh my god!’ because it offends religious people, but I’m not sure how to explain it.

I like to think that if I teach him to be a good critical thinker, he’ll eventually realize that the bible and all other religions are steaming piles of sh*t.

That having been said, he has NEVER been exposed to religion yet in his young life.

I would like him to not say ‘oh my god’, because to some people, that’s like saying the f-word or any other curse word.

So far, all I did was tell him that a lot of people find it rude to say that phrase. But he has kept right on saying it.

I am THINKING of elaborating, saying something along the lines of “Some people think there is a magical man who lives in the sky who makes everything happen. They call this magical guy ‘god’. And these people think it hurts the magical guy’s feeling when somebody says ‘oh my god’. So, I don’t really care if you say it, but since saying ‘oh my god’ can make some people unhappy, it’s nicest to say ‘oh my gosh’ instead.”

I’d love to hear what my fellow atheist parents think is the right way to handle this. Anyone else encountered this with their (young) children? Any advice you have will be much appreciated. Thanks!