Skip to main content

Helpful Phrases

I have 2 phrases that I find very useful in a multitude of circumstances. The first phrase is said with an inquisitive tone. "Why do you ask?' My daughter who was five at the time starting asking this last fall . I find this insight baffling. Somehow she had discovered that the reason one has for asking the question may influence the way you need to answer the question. I have added this phrase to my responses which has resulted in my being better equipped to answer my friends' , clients' and family's questions.

The second phrase is "We'll see." I use it all the time because it commits me to nothing while leaving the person on the other end of the conversation content. I then have time to think about what I want to do and revisit the item. This phrase was obtained while under the influence of the Batten family.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

"I think we can all learn a thing or two from KB," my sister Jana.

Tuesday night I went upstairs to get Katie Beth for dinner. I found her seated in the family room with her father deep in conversation. When KB turned around I could tell she had been crying. As Brad looked at me he said, "I think you should ask your mom about this too." And so she did. "Mom, why did Adam and Eve have to sin? What made them want to do things their way instead of God's way. Why didn't God stop them? And now look around at our world, so many people are hurting from sin." Tears ran down her face. I won't go into my response because I want to focus on her wisdom. At eight she knows that individual sin impacts generations. She knows sin is the choice of not yielding our will to God's desire. In short she understands the root of sin is self. AKA selfish, self-reliant, self serving... Sin, the decision to allow "my will" into the driver's seat instead of "God's will", separates me from God. Sometimes my driving ...

Lowest Common Denominator

The phone rings and I answer. Tell me more about your child. What is going on at school? How long does homework take nightly? What is their attitude like? Panic, anger, and fear tumble awkwardly out. Can you help my child? My response is simple, "Sounds like we need to get an accurate picture of what is going on. We need an assessment to show us how your child learns and where they are academically." With that one call their journey to hope has begun. The parent and child arrive for the assessment. I sit and talk with the parents while the assessment is taken. It is so common to hear, "My child has developed a horrible attitude" or "My child lies to me all the time about school" or "my child's teacher says he daydreams all the time." From my experience I know these are common coping mechanisms. I remember in fourth grade I was a daydreaming fool. I was overwhelmed by a new school and math was torture. I would leave to a happy place in Lubbock...

Mother's Day: Can I please get a do over?

Mother's Day is sooo overrated. Perhaps this has not been the case for you but for several of my friends last Sunday's disappointment produced a flood of tears still trickling days later. I am not sure of all the reasons this day has become such a letdown, but it has for many. I know expectations play a role, then there is the whole confusion of who honors who, and how they should be honored. So I want to help you out with a few observations. Guys do not tell your wife, "But your not my mom." This will be met with a waterfall of tears. Daughters do not say to your mom, "What have YOU planned for Mother's Day? Remember this year I am a mom too?" And in general avoid statements like,"You're JUST a step mom do you celebrate mother's day?" And guys, we really do want to honor your mom but PLEASE do not make us feel like sloppy seconds or an afterthought. It hurts. After a few days to ponder this I think several forces are at play. First are...