First grade. I sounded out the f-word on the bathroom stalls. I started casually calling all my friends a name using that word. While working on a project in class, I laughingly called a classmate my new favorite term. The teacher was sitting right there and didn't say anything. I honestly think she thought there was no way a 1st grader would say that (back then). A moment later, I said it again, and she exploded. Sent me into the hallway but never explained why. I remember sitting out there wondering what I had done. After a few minutes I figured out it must be that word.

Years later I was talking about it to my friends, and they all started laughing. They each shared stories about how they had each heard that word from me, went home, used the same word and got in trouble because of me.

Yeah - I was quite the trend-setter. 🙁