Gasp!

Is there a word you can say or gesture you make that would stop your kids right in their tracks? Well, for me its a gasp. My daughter likes to write comic strips while we drive around town. She was reading one of them to us and said a four letter word, no not dust, wash, iron, or cook. Hate, was the word and in our home that word is as bad as any four letter word that we know we don't use. Anyway, I gasped while driving and my munchkins stopped. Stopped talking, moving, and I am almost sure they even held their breath a few seconds. The car was silent for what I believe was at least 10 minutes, even Levi. Who I am sure had no idea why everyone was silent only that he probably should follow suit. When arriving at out location, I turned around and asked her, "What in your story would allow that word?" She knew before I spoke to her what was unacceptable, and the remorse was all over her face. We finished discussing how ugly the word is and that it is important to find words to communicate a feeling that are better than the word "hate". Our tongue is our most powerful weapon, Proverbs 18:21 The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.