I don't like that

At the preschool I work at, we teach the kids to "use their words". We teach them that if someone is bothering you in a way that you don't like, that its okay to say "I don't like that".

This cracks me up, and makes me proud at the same time. Sometimes I'll overhear one of the kids using our little catch phrase, and it always makes me smile. On the one hand, sometimes they'll say "I don't like that" if someone disagrees on a rule for a game or doesn't want to be sidekick-Robin to their Batman. Then there are the proud moments, when someone is truly bothering them, that they say those words loud and proud.

Why do I enjoy these moments? Well, I'll tell you. When I was a kid, I was taught some pretty dang lousy communication skills. I, even now, hate to talk things out. I hate talking about feelings. I hate sorting through overly serious subjects, and I take any kind of criticism to heart more than the average person, I feel like.

All of this being said, I am proud of the kids at my work when they use their "good words", because I feel like I'm passing on a good skill to future generations, even if it's not one I possess most of the time myself.