So I often hear people talking about little girls and how chubby or fat they are. Um will you stop that please? Actually its not a question its a command. Those negative comments stick and often stay stuck for years or life times. They may be said in a joke or maybe mean or a matter of fact but they stick. There are concerns especially in recent years for young people who are too big for their health and these things do need to be addressed of course. When a kid is not stick skinny it doesn't mean they are fat or need to be called fat.
Working with children it is sometimes hard to see if there is an impact outside of the few hours we're around. I believe kids bring school, after school, mentors, and ministries home with them. Even when we think they aren't listening or understanding what we are saying, they take it in. Sometimes they hold it in, and sometimes they let it out in other places. We have opportunity and responsibility to the youth whether they are our own or we get with them once a week or less, to show them the way and affirm the positives. They are like sponges and will pick up whatever is on the counter. There's enough polluting attributes, we can be the soap.
Next time affirm her beauty whether its another physical attribute like her smile or her hair, but affirm her inner beauty too. When a girl grows up knowing her value she may not fall into other things that depreciate her worth. Of course her the value of her soul is most important and when we translate that begins to breakdown the negatives. I hope we understand that we should be careful of how and what we say to children and adults on other subjects too. You're stupid, dumb, ugly, fat, chubby, bad and a host of other negative words are words to consider not using when talking to or about others. Just saying! Think before you speak.
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