I can certainly remember words spoken to me by adults when I was a child. Most were warm and encouraging. Some not so much. My guest and Connection Messenger * Annette Petrick, creator and host of the Consider This Radio Show, reminds us how much of an impact our words can have, even years later.
My guy and I were just reminiscing about childhood. We were sharing incidents we still remember, half a century later. Why do certain things stick out so?
He recalled a 7th-grade teacher who showed him how to study and the benefits of learning. OK. That was a game-changer. But we also each recalled tiny incidents that should have been long forgotten but were not.
My mom was rushed to finish a frock she was sewing for me. I was 8 years old. She put the dress on me to sew the final stitches, decided she didn’t have time and said she was going to hold the last stitch together with a safety pin. In her hurry, she stuck the pin right into me. It hurt – but not THAT much. Why do I still remember that silly incident? I’ve mentioned before the green imitation leather shoulder bag given to me by my aunt. It was an absolute treasure, because it was woman size when I had to grow quite a bit to get to that stage. I identified her as the first person in the world who realized that I was growing up and no longer a kid – even if the shoulder bag did hang down to my knees when I wore it.
Realize that YOU are making impressions like that on the young people in your life. You are saying things, and sharing experiences that people will remember a half-century later. Be sure that what they remember is something good – or at least something funny.
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Annette Petrick is the creative genius and inspired storyteller behind the Consider This Radio Show, featuring 90-second episodes serving up “timely perspectives on life, love, friends, family, giving back, and giving thanks.” Be sure to get on her email list HERE. She sends out a new 90-second episode every Sunday morning.
This post appeared originally on the Consider This Radio Show website, and I’m so grateful to Annette for sharing her wonderful reflections with Heartspoken readers.
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Loved your responses. I still remember my first grade art teacher telling me I didn’t know anything about color. Although the comment felt hurtful at the time I remember being conscious of color from then on. That turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Cannot tell you how many times I have thought of that moment throughout the years. Silly, the things that stick with us in to adulthood.
Thanks for the ride down memory lane.
Mickey, somewhere, on some electronic device, I responded to this wonderful comment right after you wrote it, but I see my response never showed up. One of my children had a negative comment from an art teacher in about 5th grade. Unfortunately, it was quite discouraging. Thank you for sharing this memory. I’ll bet it triggers some for other readers too.
I remember…all the nasty words spoken to my mother as a young girl or teen. I remember she always spoke kindly and softly back to me. I remember all the conversations later, as she was dying, all the wonderful things I said to her, and I meant every one. I remember all the harsh words I spoke to my son, when I was having a fit or worrying about money or his nutso dad or providing a roof over his head…and all the kind words we spoke to each other when we sat for a chat. Words cannot be taken back, but apologies can be made. And, if they are sincere, they take some of the hurt away.
Oh, Karen, what a powerful, beautiful, and thought-provoking response! Yes, indeed, apologies can always be made, and they should.
You’ve heard me say this before, but the stupidest book/movie line I ever heard perpetuated as romantic wisdom was “Love means you never have to say you’re sorry.” The truth is this: “Love means you MUST say you’re sorry (if you are…).”