A troublemaker plants seeds of strife; gossip separates the best of friends. Proverbs 16:28 NLT
Bullying is front page news on a regular basis, yet the vast majority of us engage in gossiping about friends, co-workers, acquaintances…even our own family!
As parents, we never want to see our child, or anyone else’s, bullied by other kids.
Many schools have parenting classes to teach us how to help our kids deal with bullies. They also stress the importance of encouraging our kids to talk openly about their experiences. This is done so both the bully and the bullied might get the help they need.
Now for the irony…
We teach our kids that bullying is bad, then get on the phone and bad-mouth the neighbor or gossip about someone else’s lack of parenting skills. Worse yet, we gossip about the alleged bully’s parents!
Believe me, I’m no saint in this department. I have strong opinions and have to rein in my comments on a regular basis.
Here in Texas, we have a unique way of gossiping. An ugly diatribe often stars with “Bless Her Heart”, followed by less than flattering comments.
To keep me from blessing anyone’s heart, I found the perfect scripture that has become my mantra…
Set a guard over my mouth Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips. Psalms 141:3 NLT
Make no mistake, gossiping is the adult form of bullying. The kids are watching.