I recently read a post on Facebook by a fellow dispatcher. She wanted sympathy from her peers because her 12 year old step-daughter came home with a fake lip piercing. A fight ensued and the dispatcher told her child that she was forbidden to wear the fake piercing unless she wanted to look like a trashy hoe.
That got me thinking.
Whether this parent/step-parent actually called their child a trashy hoe isn't the point. The point is that the child only heard that her step-mother thought she was a trashy hoe.
Parents - our words are so hurtful. We may not mean them the way they are heard, but the fact is that each time we utter an unkind word towards our children it damages their precious souls a little more each time.
Think about it. How many times did I have to hear that my father only wanted a boy & I was a disappointment before I actually believed it? Not many - especially when it was coming from the mouth of an adult who "loved" me.
Words are powerful. They are like a double-edges sword. Doing more damage than we can imagine.
As parents, grandparents, role models we are called to build these young ones up. The world around them will tear them down. Their peers will certainly try to find ways to tear them down. So why should we? It's our job to protect them. Love them. Encourage them.
Parents, I challenge to you to find compromises. Be slow to speak. I am just as guilty at this.
Remember those hurtful words that you were told when you were young. How those words stuck. Aren't there times when you remember that person making fun of you because you were tall/short/skinny/overweight/smart/dumb. Remember those words as you get ready to speak to your child.
Many blessings,
