The words we speak

Over the last week, my children have come out with some wonderful gems that you just wouldn't get with adults. For instance, one girl at nursery informed me:

'I grew in my Mummy's tummy and Sam grew in Daddy's tummy.'

What a brilliant mis-understanding of how babies grow.

Another child asked, 'Do I look like Humpty Dumpty?' referring to a drawing he had just done of himself, complete with the scar on his knee and the veins in his face. He is one on-the-ball four year old.

Most weeks this term, I get to spend the time between the end of school & the end of football club with Grace in Costa Coffee. It has become a bit of a routine that once we are seated with our drinks - one hot chocolate with whipped cream and marshmallows on the side, one cinnamon / vanilla / caramel / gingerbread latte - whatever takes my fancy that day - we play games. The good old classis hangman is a favourite. Although, it only occurred to me the other day that this is a bit of a funny game. One where if you guess a letter wrong, you are one step closer to dying!
Anyway, Grace being the lovely Grace that she is, was taking her turn of deciding a phrase that I had to guess. The photo is the evidence of her decision. What a treasure.

I think sometimes with adults, it's not so much a case of the words we speak as the words we don't speak. Our inhibitions that come with age seem to cloud our ability to be kind with words in the way that children are so brilliantly free and unbridled in. We see people doing wonderful things and don't say anything for fear of embarrassment. What is it exactly we think we'll be embarrassed by? Bringing a smile to someone's face? Surely not. Speak kind words more. That's my thought for the day. Simple but oh so effective & powerful.