Words Are Powerful

This is going to sound extreme, but it's the truth. A relative and I were talking about our fathers while we were growing up. It came up that her father called her a slut and a whore beginning when she was about 12 or 13 yrs old.

After several years of being called these names, she figured she might as well live up to these names. I was flabbergasted that (1) her father even said these things to her and (2) her reaction to it.

This is proof that labeling our children is setting them up for failure. So if your first one is your jock and the second one your brain, your children may very well change to fit into these stereotypes. And maybe this is okay with you.

The most common labeling I see is when small children hide behind their parents when they are introduced to adults. The parents usually say their child is being shy. Guess what, your child starts believing this. To enable your child not to be shy, state that your child is just not ready to say hello yet or she needs to warm up to new people. This gives your child the power to determine when he or she is ready to say hello.

Encourage your children to be their own great individual persons by acknowledging both what they do well and the effort they give.

I'd love to hear your experience on how words have been powerful to you or your children.