Mom Taught Her Daughter The Power Of Kind Words, Using Toothpaste, The Day Before Starting Middle School

One day before her adopted daughter began her first day of middle school, a kind mom taught her a valuable lesson about the power of words, using a tube of toothpaste and a plate.

Amy Beth Gardner had her daughter, Breonna, squeeze an entire tube of toothpaste onto a plate the night before Breonna started middle school.

Amy wrote in a post online, “my daughter begins middle school tomorrow.”. “We’ve decorated her locker, bought her new uniforms, and even surprised her with a new backpack. But just before bed, I did another pre-middle school assignment that is far more important than the others. I gave her the tube of toothpaste and asked her to squirt it out onto a plate. After she finished, I asked her to put the toothpaste back in the tube. She started saying things like “But I can’t! ” and “It won’t be like before. I waited for her to finish before saying this:”

Breonna was just about to enter middle school when Amy told her how important it is to choose her words carefully, to always use them with compassion and kindness.

“You will think of this toothpaste plate for the rest of your life. You have the power of life and death in your words. As you enter middle school, you will discover that your words carry a lot of weight. Your words have the potential to hurt, demean, slander, and wound others. Furthermore, your words will allow you to heal, inspire, encourage, and love others. You will occasionally make a mistake; this week I used my own words in a careless manner four times and caused harm. As with this toothpaste, once the words leave your mouth, they can’t be taken back. Be careful with your words, Breonna. Don’t let other people misuse your words. Choose to speak life-giving words every morning. Decide tonight that you will be a life-giver in middle school. Become known for your gentleness and compassion. You can give life to a world that so desperately needs it by using your life. You will never regret being kind.”

Amy’s words of wisdom for her daughter have been shared more than two million times online.

“As a parent, I want Breonna to learn from my strengths and my weaknesses,” Amy said.

After being foster parents to Breonna and her younger sister for two years, Amy and her husband adopted them.

Because of Amy’s girls’ difficult start in life before they met, she says she pays extra attention to their emotional growth and is constantly encouraging them and helping them to have a strong sense of self-worth and self-esteem.

“Each morning when I wake Breonna up, I spend just a few minutes telling her how much I love her, how important she is to me, and how valuable her life is,” Amy said. “I know the world will tell her what to believe about herself as she becomes a preteen and teenager. Every morning, I want her to hear my voice telling her how proud I am of her and what I see in her.