On Sunday I spent the afternoon with my granddaughter, Maya. After she corralled me for a good 45 minutes into making play dough butterflies, she told me she was hungry. Now Maya is a little bit of a fussy eater and does not have a large appetite except when it comes to sweets. I try not to make a big deal out of her finishing her plate because I am always worried about girls developing eating disorders.
Well, I made her the pancakes she requested and she filled her whole plate with them. (I know, not the most nutritional lunch but hey, I am the grandmom.) It is no exaggeration to say that this was a tall stack for a tiny person. Without thinking about it, I said, ” Maya I will be SHOCKED if you finish that plate”. Well she was just charmed at first by that word SHOCKED and we started joking and having fun with it. But somewhere along the way she started worrying about the word and her demeanor changed from happy and laughing to a little scared and worried. I think at three years of age, she thought she knew what I meant by the word but then got a little nervous about maybe SHOCKED was a bad thing. I stopped the word game and she had her lunch and all went happily from there.
But it got me thinking about the power of words.
Isn’t it strange how with the combination of just 26 letters and the inflection of your voice, you can make someone smile, or you can fill their eyes with tears?
My Sunday visit ending up being a potent reminder for me to watch those very powerful combination of letters before they roll out of my mind and exit my mouth.
Wishing you a week filled with kind words,
I love your description of your time spent with your three year old granddaughter ♥️
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It is always a special learning time for me.
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By the way young children like that food ingredients are not too mixed and that the consistence is even and as you say not to pay too much attention on their eating
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How sweet! Words ARE powerful. 🙂
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She might have thought you would be shocked as in getting an electrical ‘shock’. Glad you got her off the topic!
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Bernadette, a wonderful reflection came out of an interesting encounter. Words are powerful. “Words are seeds.” Your statement could be the beginning of a poem for my Spring’s Seeds Gallery. You already have a digital image to accompany the possible poem. What do you say?
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Carol, As Charlie Brown would ay aargh!!!! You always find ways to challenge my growth creatively. Let me ponder on this challenge.
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Nice story to emphasize your point. I think many people take the power of words for granted. Even more during these times of social media where so much communication is done by text and the human element has been removed. Good post. Have a good day.
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How wonderful to have that time with your granddaughter making butterflies. My grandson is almost 3 (also a picky eater) and he is so sensitive to all those little nuances. Their busy minds are little sponges soaking up and interpreting the world. Thanks for the reminder about the power of words, and what better way for children to learn than with adults who are sensitive and guide the exploration in a way that feels safe. 🙂 Well done.
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I tend to forget how fancy pick up language at that age. I was happy that I picked up the nuances of How it was affecting her.
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Good reminder for all of us Bernadette! 🙂
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So true Bernadette! Words can bring someone up or put them in the dumps! 🙂
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I have shocked and worried my grandson on many an occasion by carelessly using phrases like ‘I nearly had a heart attack!’ or ‘my heart was in my mouth!’ when relating a story to his mum. Sayings you grew up hearing just become part of your everyday vernacular until you have small children in your life who make you question the previously unquestioned.
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It is amazing how those wee ones bring you up short and help you to think about life.
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All the time ☺️
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It’s is a wonderful reminder Bernadette….Landon gets on the phone with me daily,,and sometimes I forget I’m talking to a 4 year old!!! 😬
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That is because you have never left behind your child like spirit and wonder and it shows in your writing.
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☺️ Thank you Bernadette
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Words do have such strong meanings even when we don’t think about it! very nice post!
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Isn’t it amazing how powerful words can be. What your post reminds me is that we don’t really even know what words or phrases will spark some kind of response in someone else. I also love how much the power of some words change. Students I was working with the other day were appalled when I referred to myself as a bonehead. They wanted to know what it meant. I told them it meant stupid and they told me that was a bad word and people shouldn’t use that kind of language. I think I teach because children are always teaching me new ways to see the world.
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Doesn’t you just make your heart sing that they feel that stupid is a bad word
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Lovely recount and she will store these beautiful memories of her grandma fixing her a stack of pancakes. Indeed, words do carry a lot of weight and must be wielded carefully. I enjoyed reading this.
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Thank you Jacolyn
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