Behind Duane "Dog The Bounty Hunter" Chapman's Racist Rant is a Parenting Lesson to Be Learned

On the November 2nd episode of Fox News' Hannity & Combs, the consensus between the two hosts and their guest was that Dog Chapman's use of the N word is nothing more than a simple case of an upset father using bad language. No one the show addressed the fact the private conversation was in response to Chapman not wanting his son's girlfriend around because the family does indeed use the negative racial epithet on a regular basis. Many people are missing the point that this is how Chapman and his wife raised their children; these kids grew up listening to their parents use the N word.

This is why the Hannity & Combs take on the situation was so shocking to me. The Fox News Channel prides itself on being very conservative- a champion for family values. But yet they condone a father's regular use of the N word and other offense language.

Dog Chapman can apologize all he wants too, he can sit and talk with Reverend Al Sharpton until he is blue in the face but it will not undo the dynamics within that family that has been going on for years.

Rather its racial epithets, terms used to degrade the opposite sex or the use of so called everyday curse words- they all have a impact on a child's upbringing. Both racism and sexism are passed down within families from generation to generation. Dog Chapman's rant is more than just a private conversation between father and son; it was the outing of his family's lack of communication skills and their hidden views on African Americans.

Children are like little sponges, they soak up every thing said around them. We are their first teacher, which is why it is so important that we as parents have to be mindful of what is said around them. We are responsible for what is placed in their hearts.

Of course within families, life situations take place and parents do get upset. For example, I worked alongside a white woman who held a grudge against all black people for most of her life. She stated this stemmed from her father coming home from work ranting about how he lost out on a promotion due to "the nigger in the office getting the job because of affirmative action". For years, as a child it was pounded into heart and mind that this one black man was the cause for all her father's grief and alcoholism. Now she realizes how her father's bitterness affected her mindset as a grown woman. This is a clear example of how words play a part in a child's life.

This does not only apply to whites using the N word within their homes, this goes for ANY family using negative terms when talking about a different race. This goes for the single mom who refers to all men as no good "dogs". This goes for the father who walks around his house and comments on how women "should stay in their place".

Words are powerful, and the words we use around our children mold them into the adults they become.