I truly believe that our modern society does not think about the power of spoken words. There are certain groups that certainly OVERTHINK verbal communication (politicians, televangelists, everyone in infomercials)- but the majority of people, and I certainly include myself in this, don’t have a clue how an offhand comment can affect a person. Both in good and negative ways.
I’m in my bathroom, primping for a night out with the girls, and my then 4 year old son is watching me intently. I’m spraying, powdering, buffing, shaving, lotioning, curling, and blotting for all I am worth. I look GOOD, dammit. I’m feeling good. I’m gonna go out, dance until my feet hurt, throw back some adult beverages, flirt with some people, just have a fun grown up night. I’m all finished, looking in the mirror for the final review before leaving my boys, and Brady (the then 4 year old) says, “Mommy! You don’t look fat tonight!”. He says this with his beautiful smile, and sparkles in his eyes. I KNOW that is his little mind he thinks “Mommy looks pretty!!!”- but his words give the compliment (?) a whole different twist. I vividly remember standing there, stunned for a moment, and looking down from killer heels into his little shining face. My heart KNEW what he meant. He’s 4. He’s a boy. He’s always going to have trouble expressing his thoughts, because, let’s face it, he’s a male human child. I bent over, kissed his little face and told him “Thank YOU!!!”.
The point I am trying to make with this- and I do have one- is that unless you are a 4 year old boy child, STOP and think what your words can do. I’m not going to point out any examples of this in grown up life, because each and every person on the planet has experience with this concept. Whether it was you who spoke before thinking, or if you were the recipient of someone’s diarrhea of the mouth- just take 2 seconds to think.
That is all for now.