Words Hurt

Today, while in Costco, I witnessed a child--no older than six--pick up a Harry Potter video game and exclaim, "They showed the whole story. That's so gay!" A few moments later, his older brother--about ten or eleven--could be heard saying "Ugh. That's retarded."

It really made me wonder about what people are teaching their children. I often will hear these words in my job (at the college level). Women will call each other derogatory terms and consider it affectionate. People will randomly curse, not caring who is around to hear them, including my nearly five-year-old daughter. Why can't people just think about what they are saying and how it may affect others? When did we all become so selfish?

The harder part, still, is to confront this behavior when we witness it. Did I walk down the aisle and talk to these young boys about how their words were inappropriate? Sadly, no. If we are to live in a civil society, we have to unlearn what has been taught as acceptable and even "cool." I hope that next time I will be more courageous, take advantage of a teachable moment, and that I will raise my daughter to be a strong woman and do the same.