Very early in life kids learn that little ditty, " Sticks and stones can break my bones but words can never hurt me!" That is true only in a direct and primary sense. But,words can hurt the heart and a person's emotions. When the wrong words are spoken to our kids and spouses, it can set the stage for future negative actions. Words that rip at a person's self-esteem, especially between spouses, can act like getting hit in the face with a brick. When we speak condescendingly to our kids, it can be like they just had the emotional wind kicked out of them. Here, I am speaking from experience and I am not paraphrasing from the latest best selling psycho-babble tract. Yes - I've been there, done that, as the thrasher of cutting words, and the recipient of painful judgement. Like it or not, words are the forerunner of future actions; words set the stage for future acts in the video of our lives. Moreover, since we live in a world of cause and effect, those words do come back to us; positive words yield positive effects while negative words can produce living nightmares. Carefully chose your words and put a padlock on your tongue. If you need to run around the block to cool your temper before you speak, do so. Use those bricks to build a strong house that no big, bad wolf can blow down.
Copyright @2102 Terry Unger
