Weedle Words

“Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips.” Psalm 141:3 NIV

When God got a hold of my heart, He also lassoed my vocabulary. Four-letter words I’d once used on a regular basis just didn’t seem appropriate anymore. God didn’t even have to wash my mouth out with soap…

Some words weren’t on my “forbidden” list, but they still sounded crass and unladylike…like the word for expelling gas. With a house full of kids, this particular topic came up (and out) on a regular basis, so I devised a more acceptable and polite word for our family to use…”weedle”. Just say the word a few times…weedle, weedle, weedle…it’s a fun word to say…and even funnier when you know its secret meaning.

When you want kids to stop doing something, it usually works better to redirect their behavior than to jut say “don’t”. In this case, I gave them a funny word to replace the one I didn’t want them to say. In the broader sense, changing what flows out of your child’s mouth begins with redirecting what regularly enters in through their ears. Kids think of and repeat the words they hear…at home, in their music, on TV and from their friends. Don’t use words you wouldn’t want them repeating in front of your grandmother or your pastor.

Prayer: God, I want every word spoken by my children to be pleasing to You. Protect their impressionable minds from foul and perverse language. Help me be a good example for them to follow. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

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