In today’s Southern Meck neighbors section Vanessa Willis has a column on foul-mouthed teens that makes a valid point, but also includes way too many examples of adults being wimpy.

Willis details various encounters with roving potty-mouths in public spaces like Stonecrest. True enough. However, to me the first sign of rude behavior by kids — and adults — is talking way too loud. Period. Profane or not. Maybe it is the cell phone influence but we seem to have lost any notion of private conversations being, well, private. Narrow cast. Not blast-casted.

As for the profanity, yes you’ll hear it if you are out in public spaces, but it is up to you to say something and deliver that vital social sanction. When Willis tells of grown men and women “afraid” to go to Stonecrest lest they encounter some saucy tongued teens you have to wonder what bubble they grew up in.

Willis herself claims that profanity was not as widespread when she was a teen in the early 90s. Again, I call bubble. In 1976 the 8-tracks of Richard Pryor and George Carlin were in heavy circulation among my sixth-grade peers with slightly older siblings. Profanity has long been a big part of language in youth culture. The difference today seems to be precisely this unwillingness on the part of adults to reign it in public situations.

It really is not that hard, particularly when you are with much younger kids. Just make eye-contact with the f-bomber point to the little ones, make a disgusted face, mouth “Thanks” and you’ll get sheepish, busted looks in return.

Even when you have to say something, outrage, shock, and horror are not needed. Just slide up close and in a pleasant tone say, “Hey can you guys kill the f-bombs for a little while? We’ll be out of here real soon. Thanks.” Has never failed me.

I’ve even had to quell several profane rows of fans at Panthers’ games when little ones were in tow, and that was for three plus hours. That only worked because I was the loudest, most insulting to the refs and opponents (PG division) fan in the section, however. Your results my vary.

Finally, the single most suggestive, if not obscene thing I’ve heard South Charlotte teens say in semi-public had not a dirty word in it. Walking out of a viewing of the movie 300 at Stonecrest — a ridiculously over-the-top sex and violence fest that relished its R-rated content as it delivered quite well — two 16ish girls were walking a few steps in front of me.

They weren’t talking, just sauntering along looking straight ahead, both in that bizarre teen uniform of hooded sweatshirt and flip-flops. Finally as we neared the end of the long hallway, the girl on the left drew in a long breath and sighed.

“I want a Spartan,” she matter-of-factly declared between gum cracks.

“Yeaaa-pppp,” came the unmistakably salacious reply.

And off they went into the velvety South Charlotte night. Mom and Dad comfortably out-of-the-loop.

Update: See what problems the loud talkers can cause?