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“But the human tongue is a beast that few can master. It strains constantly to break out of its cage, and if it is not tamed, it will run wild and cause you grief.” -Unknown
It is true that the words you speak as a mother, parent or caregiver can either leave a deep and lasting impact or an unforgettable memory – good or bad.
The story of Thomas Edison, the great inventor would never be complete without the key role his mother played in his life.
Thomas Edison was labeled by his teacher as being ‘addled’ meaning mentally ill at a very young age. He was sent home with a letter from his school to his mother.
“His mother’s eyes were tearful as she read the letter out loud to her child: Your son is a genius. This school is too small for him and doesn’t have enough good teachers for training him. Please teach him yourself.
After many, many years, after Edison’s mother died and he was now one of the greatest inventors of the century, one day he was looking through old family things.
Suddenly he saw a folded paper in the corner of a drawer in a desk. He took it and opened it up. On the paper was written: Your son is addled [mentally ill]. We won’t let him come to school any more.
Edison cried for hours and then he wrote in his diary: “Thomas Alva Edison was an addled child that, by a hero mother, became the genius of the century.”
Though this story is widely believed to be false. However I believe there are lessons embedded in the story.
What we do know is that Edison’s mother ditched the labels and chose to home-school her son. He said this many years later about his mother.
” In fact, she was the most enthusiastic champion a boy ever had, and I determined right then that I would be worthy of her and show her that her confidence was not misplaced.”
His mother championed his destiny by believing in him and speaking good and
helpful words to him consistently. The result is the genius and great inventor the world will always remember – Thomas Edison.
As a mother, you can lose it sometimes, especially when you are worn out, angry and the children have chosen to get on your nerves.
And in those moments, you can be tempted to lash out and speak hurtful, foul, abusive and hateful words from your lips at your child.
Or maybe you may have even received a good dose of ugly and abusive words spoken to you in your growing years, and now you see it as normal and are now doing the same thing to your children.
Joel Osteen said : “Be careful what you say. You can say something hurtful in ten seconds, but ten years later, the wounds are still there.
Do you know that God’s word also has something to say to you about this? And most especially when you are a mother to children he has entrusted to you. Read this.
” Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them. ” Ephesians 4:29 NLT
” And never let ugly or hateful words come from your mouth, but instead let your words become beautiful gifts that encourage others; do this by speaking words of grace to help them. “Ephesians 4:29 TPT
The words you speak can get ugly, corrupt and abusive. But as a mother, your words can also be good, helpful, inspiring and encouraging. The choice remains yours to make.
While many adults are still struggling with the words turned labels that were spoken to them as children, make up your mind today to be that mother who speaks words that give life, hope, support and encouragement to her children.
The good and helpful words you speak to your children daily are seeds. And those seeds will bear fruits of visionaries, geniuses, great leadership, compassion, resilience, hope, confidence, faith, a healthy self-esteem, love and greatness in the lives of your children who will shape the world tomorrow.
So one question you must always ask yourself as a mother, parent or caregiver is this – Am I speaking good and helpful words to my child? Or are your words ugly, abusive, foul and hurtful. Think about it.
“Don’t mix bad words with your bad mood. You’ll have many opportunities to change a mood, but you’ll never get the opportunity to replace the words you spoke.” – Unknown
Image Credit : Pexels – Daniel Oluwamuyiwa
