Our Words are Like Toothpaste

As I was trying to find an activity for our students to participate in to gain knowledge on how their words can help or hurt each other, I came across the toothpaste lesson. As I started the lesson, I showed the student the full tube of toothpaste and we talked about how it was full and smooth with no wrinkles. As I said something mean to the students in the room, I squeezed out bits of toothpaste to show how easily those mean words can come out. After I had emptied the bottle, the students described the way the toothpaste looked on the plate; messy, sticky, globs, etc. I talked with the students about how I was just in a bad mood and didn't mean what I said so I wanted to take all of those words (the toothpaste) back. As I tried to fit every single last drop of toothpaste in, we saw how difficult it is to ensure that every mean word we have said is taken back. 

When you squeeze toothpaste out of the tube, the toothpaste will never perfectly fit back into the tube. We can try in various different ways but ultimately, some is left out of the bottle, possibly making a mess wherever it is left. The students and I discussed how our words are like toothpaste in a bottle. As we say them, they come out and are never able to perfectly be taken back. This can be a negative or a positive.

When words are harsh and used to hurt others, those words are out there to cause harm. We can say we are sorry and work hard to build that friend's trust again, but ultimately the words have been said and are left as a reminder to our friends or the people we love that we hurt them. Just like the toothpaste once it is outside of the bottle. 

On the contrary, our words spoken in love and kindness will leave a lasting impression too. They aren't able to be taken away and put back into a bottle. They can stay with the person that you have given them too, in hopes that those positive words outshine any negatives that have been said or that might be said. 

As I was talking to the students about this lesson, I thought to myself how important this is for me to remember as a mom and as a professional. Our children think that we hung the moon and when we loose our temper and say things to them, those words can't be taken back. Our words can start their day off on the right foot or the wrong. That's a lot of power. As a professional, I try to be cautious about the words that I use with my colleagues. I can either negatively or positively affect their day with my words and my hope is that I have more positive interactions than negative. 

In the end, I can only hope that our toothpaste lesson reminded the students of how important it is to think about something you say to someone before you say it because once we say those words, they are never perfectly able to be taken back. 

Ashley Hagg
Cherry School Counselor