Power of the Tongue

Looking back to my  childhood years, I remember vividly how my Grandma never said a bad word about a person (she’s my muse, idol, mentor etc by the way), she would smile or rather be quiet even when physically provoked  - she usually  broke into  some songs or the other!! I found her very fascinating and till date, she remained an enigma to me. When it came to us her family, she was even more cautious..as he would call me “You this blessed child” just before landing me a serious back slap ! Please note that the nice words were not a guarantee for indiscipline.

One time on holiday, I felt frustrated with her attitude towards a nasty neighbor and I simply refused to speak to her for the whole day! Later that night she spoke to me about the power of the tongue, she broke this down with several life events to back up her stance and finally showed me where the Bible said it all Proverbs 18:  21 .

Today, we as Parents are sometimes usually too tired or simply cranky from the endless day’s work to filter our words.  Unknowingly, we find ourselves saying the wrong things to children around us..Have you said stupid, dumb, evil, crazy, ruffian and so on to children around you? Then you need to speak back positively towards them. It doesn't stop with just you,  please lay down ground rules in your homes concerning how your children are spoken to, what languages are used around them and what "pet" names they are given  as these words go a long way in the formation of this child’s being.

A child that is constantly called a ruffian, will only want to live up to the task

You call a child stupid every time he/she makes a mistake and expect more with his school result

You talk down on a child every time and keep wondering why he lacks self-confidence/esteem

You call a child dull and expect him to shine among his peers

Your moods are so erratic leaving your child confused on when he’s doing right or wrong

You speak badly about your dear friend in front of your child and wonder why he’s so dishonest

We can go on and on but I’ll just leave it at this as we all need this caution…as sometimes we believe we haven’t said anything wrong until we literally lay a curse but all the listed and more can do some damage to your child’s being . In all, I’ll say, know your child as no child is the same, even a set of twins grow with different personalities, aura and perspective.   It’s just like marriage, no marriage is the same- the same man who takes all sorts of verbal insult from his wife, is the same man that will throw her out for his food being served late…I hope it’s clearer with this sample.

I had bullet points of acts, reactions and consequences to share but let me leave to you my co-writers to give us your insights and all ….