A Mother Offers Some Good Advice

A mother whose daughter was to start middle school the next day did the following.

 

First, she decorated her locker, bought new uniforms, and even surprised her with a new backpack.

 

Then, the night just before bed, she did a pre-middle school preparation task that was much more important than the others. They gave her daughter a tube of toothpaste and asked her to squirt it out onto a plate.

 

When she finished, she calmly asked her to put all the toothpaste back in the tube.

 

Her daughter then began exclaiming things like ‘But I can’t!’ and ‘It won’t be like it was before!’

 

She quietly waited for her to finish complaining and then said the following: ‘Hopefully, you will remember this plate of toothpaste for the rest of your life because your words have the power of life or death.

 

As you go into middle school, you are about to see just how much weight your words carry. You are going to have the opportunity to use your words to hurt, demean, slander, and wound others.

 

You are also going to have the opportunity to use your words to heal, encourage, inspire, and love others.

 

You will occasionally make the wrong choice; I can think of three times this week I have used my own words carelessly and caused harm.

 

Just like this toothpaste, once the words leave your mouth, you can’t take them back.

 

Use your words carefully, honey. When others are misusing their words, guard your words. Make the choice every morning that life-giving words will come out of your mouth.

 

Decide tonight that you are going to be a life-giver in middle school. Be known for your gentleness and compassion. Use your life to give life to a world that so desperately needs it. You will never, ever regret choosing kindness.’ “