The Power of Suggestion

“Can I jump with you guys on the trampoline?”

“Sure, Mommy.  We can jump together.  Just don’t break it.”

“I’ll sure try not to.  And maybe I should wait until my knee gets better before I try jumping on the trampoline.”

After the fall on the ice a couple of weeks ago, my knee is now a battleground of blue, grey, brown, and green bruises, and itchy, itchy, itchy.  The craziness of the itching is how you know it’s on the mend, they say.   So maybe I’ll get that incident behind me before I go playing Crack the Egg on the trampoline.

“Or you could lose some weight.”  Tucker’s suggestion.

“That’s an option, yes.”  (Pause.)  “Hey, buddy?  Here’s a good rule to remember: Never, ever, ever suggest to a girl that she should lose some weight.”

“I know.”

“You know?  But you still said it to me?”

“Well, I know not to say it to girls.”  Right.  And, still.

“If you say that to your girlfriend, she might not love you anymore.”

“I don’t have a girlfriend.”

“But someday, it’s likely you will.”

“She won’t love me, but she’ll like me.”

“She might not.  This is what I’m trying to tell you.  If you suggest to a girl that she should lose weight, she will think you’re saying she’s not beautiful the way she is.  She will think you would love her more if she were shaped differently.  And you don’t want her to feel that way.”

“Right.  That’s why I’m only saying it to you.”

“Well, it’s still not my favorite.”

“That’s why I’m only saying it to you.”

And I’m finished with this conversation.

Tricia Lott Williford

Comments are closed

  1. I am agreeing with Indre’s post…..Mom’s are not really “girls”…they are “just moms”….they are home base for boys, kind of a “stomping ground” to find their way around the crazy mystery called “Woman”…….

  2. My question is, why does he think you need to loose weight? You look fabulous!!!! Kids…..

  3. Yes, I’ve had those conversations with my kiddos before. Fun times. 🙂

  4. Clearly, you are trusted to love him forever, no matter what. That’s a good thing, his casual commentaries aside…

  5. haha…you’re not a girl, Tricia, you’re a Mom. Big difference! The good news is they eventually figure it out, bless their little hearts. <3

  6. This is so random, but I feel like my worlds are colliding and you should know b/c you are the cause.:) I have followed your blog for a while. And I have your link up on my blog. A few months ago, a lady I have known for years from the church I grew up in told me she knows you and was ?named? after you. I thought it was “wow such a small world” and then I moved on with life. Then I get on Facebook today and see you posted something on my pastor’s wife’s facebook page….this world is getting too small.
    Thanks for the great read!

You Are Safe Now

Available April 9, 2024

This Book Is for You

Now Available
A book about falling in love with the Bible

Just. You. Wait.

Now Available
#1 New Title on Amazon in Christian Inspiration

You Can Do This

Now Available
#1 New Title on Amazon in Women's Issues!

Let's Pretend We're Normal

Now Available
#1 Bestseller on Amazon in Single Parenting

And Life Comes Back

Now Available
#1 in Denver Post: Nonfiction Paperback and Finalist for 2015 Christian Book Award
© 2015-2024 Tricia Lott Williford. All Rights Reserved. Site by Concept To Web.