Bring Out The Best

My daughter got a Cashapp money from a friend and since her Cashapp account is tied with mine as she is under 18, I saw the notification.

The memo on the notification said  “F…you!”

Well! I freaked out! I was in shock!

Did my daughter have a quarrel with her friend who sent the money? Did my daughter owe the girl or probably the girl owed her money? Why the language?

I texted my daughter immediately as she was at school. I asked why her friend used such a language on her to send her a Cashapp money.

My daughter responded that the Cashapp money sent by her friend was a birthday gift and it was nothing else.

So this brought up a very long discussion at a later time.

This friend was only giving her a birthday gift and used the language “f… you” because that is what she normally says to my daughter. My daughter has accepted this language as normal and sees nothing wrong in it. 

My daughter says that this language “ f.. you” is what everybody her age says so there is nothing wrong with the language her friend used on her.

After some discussion with my daughter who wanted to convince me “f … you” was appropriate, I realized she, my daughter had been bullied at school and called derogatory names. She started to cry.

I had to educate my daughter.

Being bullied is not acceptable. Using derogatory words or language on another person is not acceptable. 

Whether you are a child, youth, teenager or an adult, using a derogatory word or language on another person is inhuman. It is demeaning and devaluing the worth of that person.

Parents, teach your children not to accept derogatory language used on them by their friends. If you do not teach your children this, they grow to believe derogatory language used on others is acceptable. This eventually affects their self esteem growing up and later in their life.

Teach your children to report any bullying to their teachers or counselors at school and most importantly, to you their parents.

Teach your children that if such an attitude of bullying, or calling another derogatory names persists despite them calling attention to it, such a friendship or relationship is not healthy but toxic and has to be discontinued. 

A friendship that does not bring out the best in you but puts you down is not healthy.

‭‭Colossians‬ ‭4‬:‭6‬ says

“…..Be gracious in your speech. The goal is to bring out the best in others in a conversation, not put them down, not cut them out.”

‭‭Colossians‬ ‭4‬:‭5‬-‭6‬ ‭MSG‬‬

https://bible.com/bible/97/col.4.5-6.MSG