"Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body,
but it makes great boasts.
Consider what a great forest is set alight by a small spark.
The tongue also is a fire,
a world of evil among the parts of the body.
It corrupts the whole person,
sets the whole course of his life on fire,
and is itself set on fire by hell."
James 3:5,6.
Teaching our precious little ones to control their words is one of our most important parenting tasks.
It is a long, long, long process.
From
gently discouraging the squealing in the high chair (with a finger on their lips to show quiet)
to
showing them the beauty of quietness (with independent play times each day)
to
helping them greet people politely (with lots of role play practice)
to
teaching them how to show kindness with their words (using the five love languages)
to
responding calmly and consistently to their disapproval of our decisions (with a few minutes of isolation)
to
firmly administrating logical consequences for inappropriate expressions of anger (that are age and context appropriate)
to
dealing with attitude (with loss of privileges)
to
helping them understand the power of words to build up or destroy (through a study of Bible verses)
to
seeing words as a gift from God to love others well.
