Why Words Are Scarier For Kids Than Clowns!
The impact of words on children.
“You’re very poor! Look at you!”
He had never had a sense of proportion.
That is, he never knew if he looked good. Smelled good. Talked good. Or even, smiled good. When he thinks about himself, it was blank. There was no point of reference. Nothing once heard, to hold on to, to say, “I am that.”
No compliments. No positive gesture.
He was just a child; quiet and often smiled. Greeted the teachers. And clung to his friends. They were kids. Worse, they were boys. So no one talked about this stuff.
What was ego? Was anyone dying from terrible self-image? And self-esteem? These were foreign concepts to these lads. They felt the emptiness though. But just didn't have a name for it. But the desire — the desire to be seen, heard, appreciated, even loved, remained deep within their souls.
So when the teacher, looking straight into his eyes, said, “among all the students here, you’re the poorest,” he believed her.
And it ate him up.
One could feel the pity oozing from the students as they sat uncomfortably watching this moment. Some were bold enough to console him after, alone. He smiled sheepishly as…
