Words are powerful, especially to a toddler

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The Kid and I enjoying the Plymouth Ice Festival
Words are powerful.

Different people will apply different meanings to the same word.  The word ugly is a perfect example.  In my family, ugly describes negative behavior but, as a kid, I interpreted the word as the negative of physical beauty.  The result was a inadvertant lowering of my self-esteem.

Tone is also key to ensuring words are efficacious.  Kind words said with venom are interpreted very differently than venomous words said with a kind tone.

As a result, I have tried to be careful about the words I use with The Kid.  For example, I want the word, "no," to mean something when I say it, so I try not to use it often.

I have also tried to remain conscious of the tone of voice I use with The Kid.  For someone who uses sarcasm incessantly, this has been a large undertaking.  Thankfully, my desire to make sure this child has the best chance to live a healthy, happy, productive life usually wins.

To soothe The Kid when she would visit, I would try singing softly too her and it seemed to help most days.  I find myself singing to her when we walk, after we read, when riding on the elevator of our building or while I'm changing her diaper as a way to express my love to her.  I'm sharing a short recording of what I usually sing because I hope that someday she reads this an begins to understand just how special she is to her Papa.

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