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Mind Your Ps and Qs

Mind Your Ps and Qs

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Mind Your Ps and QsSometimes parents or teachers tell children, “Mind your Ps and Qs.” Usually they mean to watch their speech or behavior. They want the children to act right – to mind their manners – to straighten up and fly right.

We need to hear that message too. How often do we:

  • Talk without thinking about the effect of our words?
  • Allow our emotions to control our behavior? We don’t feel well, so we don’t treat others well.
  • Embarrass ourselves by using bad manners?

One thoughtless word or deed can harm or destroy a relationship. Therefore, when we see Ps and Qs on children’s blocks, let’s remember to mind our Ps and Qs.

  • Think before speaking.
  • Think before acting.
  • Use proper manners.

People disagree on the origin of this phrase. It may have begun because the small (lower case) p and q look so much alike. They are the reverse (mirror image) of one another. Therefore, we must be careful when we write. We don’t want to confuse our lettters.

Likewise, we don’t want to confuse right and wrong. Whatever we do, let’s mind our Ps and Qs.

“He wanted them to be understanding, just, and fair in everything they did” (Proverbs 1:3 TLB).

Do you have an expression you want explained? If so, please comment below.

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Bite Your Tongue

Bite Your Tongue

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Bite Your TongueBite your tongue tells another person to remain silent.

We might say bite your tongue to:

  1. Declare we don’t want to hear what the other person has to say. That person’s statement may or may not be true. For example, someone might predict a snowfall. If we don’t want snow, we say, “Bite your tongue!”
  2. Encourage someone to remain silent when another person hurts or displeases her. We will explore this meaning today.

People may hurt us, yet we can choose not to hurt them.

We can’t bite our tongue and talk at the same time. If we wait before we speak, we save ourselves and others much heartache. I don’t want to say something I will regret, do you?

Gossips or busybodies talk when they shouldn’t. They should bite their tongues. However, if we try to hurt them or anyone else because they hurt us, we only make the problem bigger.

Everyone benefits when we think before we speak or act.

Instead of fighting back with our words, why not try one of the following?

  1. Walk away.
  2. Count to 10 (or more) before we respond.
  3. Explain how the person’s words or actions made us feel, when we can do so calmly.
  4. Pray for the person.
  5. Say or do something nice for that person. We may gain a friend. If not, we still know we did the right thing.
  6. Try to understand why the person acts the way he does.
  7. Remember: We can’t control the other person, but we can control ourselves. Charles R. Swindoll said, “Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.”

“Help me, Lord, to keep my mouth shut and my lips sealed” (Psalm 141:3 TLB).

Do you have other helpful ideas for dealing with people who hurt us? Please comment below.

Thanks to Jenny Kuo for suggesting and modeling this expression.

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