This little poem crossed my desk recently, and it exposed a great truth:

I lost a very little word

Just the other day.

It was a very naughty word

I had not meant to say.

But then, it was not really lost

When from my lips it flew,

My little daughter picked it up,

And now she says it, too.

"Out of the mouths of babes come words their parents wish they had never said." We do teach by example, of this there is no doubt. The parent who preaches one thing and practices another is sending mixed signals to the child, and this often leads to confusion.

Very few people ever verbally instruct their children to lie, cheat, steal, behave violently and so on. Seldom does a parent say to a child, "Now, Johnny, (or Susie), you're 4 years old, and it's time you started learning some 'adult' language. Here are the words to use when you are angry or irritated or want to impress someone with your 'savvy' and street smarts. Cuss word No. 1 in the introductory course to vile language is —- ." And then proceed to teach word by word all of the things we should neither say nor hear.

No, that's not the way the parents do it. They let television teach and the child overhears some of their own language. And then for some strange reason, they are embarrassed when the child uses language that he or she is only repeating from parents. It's more than just a cliche to say a child won't believe everything you say but will believe everything you do.

Message: Use lots of four-letter words like good, real, fair, hope, love and so on. Include volumes of adult language like integrity, commitment and responsibility, and you will have something to smile about.

To find out more about Zig Ziglar and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com. Subscribe to Zig Ziglar's free e-mail newsletter through [email protected].

Photo credit: Bessi at Pixabay