Make it personal, especially Mother to Son. "That language disresepcts me, It hurts me. Is there something that I have done that you are angry about, I just cannot understand why you would use words like that to hurt me"
Give them something to think about.....

Liquid soap works wonders with younger kids

Thanks for everyone's suggestions. We have had a much better week. We have used several of the things that y'all mentioned. (Can you tell I am from the South?)

We have talked to him about the example he is setting for his younger brother and kids in the neighborhood. We told him it saddens us that he would use language that he knows he should not use.

He really is a good kid. He is kind, tender hearted, good grades, etc. We have told him if the habit of bad language continues there will be consequences of losing privileges. So far it has worked. We are prepared to follow up on the consequences if we need to.

I wouldn't actually wash his mouth out with soap but I did tell him I was going to make him eat a green bean which in his mind is just as bad if not worse!

Thanks again!

Hi. I can understand how frustrated you are. I have 2 boys, age 14 & 12. It seems like you and your husband are doing the right things like not swearing, keeping involved in church, etc....I just got done reading this book called Let Me Tell You What Your Teens Are Telling Me, by Blaine Bartel. It talks about how teens do stupid things. It's going to take time after time after time of explaining and disciplining. The book also says to keep walking in God's wisdom, praying, disciplining, instructing and believing His Word until the kids pass thru this season of insanity. I have heard my kids cuss - though not often and only when they thought I couldn't hear. Besides taking away their stuff, I had them do bathroom duty - dump trash, clean inside and outside of toilet and whatever else x-chores they hated doing.

I'm a foster parent here in GA and my mother works for DSS in SC, so I've had a contact with a few caseworkers.

I don't know which state you are in, but in SC one of the caseworkers told my mother that we should "hot sauce" our son's mouth! My son had said something inappropriate and my husband mentioned in front of the caseworker something about washing his mouth out. I was mortified! I was scared that they were going to take our son. I cried after we left to my mother about what happened, so she talked to the caseworker and that's when the caseworker told her she was going to suggest hot sauce!

Here in GA, at least the part that we live in, the caseworkers absolutely recognize the right of parents to discipline their children. I may get flamed on this one, but I encourage you to set some very stringent whether it be spanking, "going wireless" (meaning allowing NOTHING with a cord to be watched/played), etc.

With my foster children, I was not allowed to physically discipline them (and rightly so). So I set up some very strict rules for my kids with consequences...and rewards. This has worked well so far.

For my birth/adopted children, I always pointed out that Peter cursed to prove that he was not a follower of Christ (after Christ was arrested and Peter followed him to see what would happen to Him), so if they use that kind of language, they sound like they are not a follower of Christ.