Meet the Triplets Murmur, Mumble & Grumble Training our Children to Become Great Communicators

Healthy Communication? Eye contact, Body Posture/Language, Tone of Voice, Listening Skills, Verbal and non-verbal cues, word economy, spacial awareness.

Word Health We practice everything under the sun, why don’t we practice healthy communication skills and healthy behavior patterns? We ask, “Is that a healthy response?” Word Economy: Say what you mean to say with as few words as possible.

Ephesians 4:29 “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” No formula, only training.

Play the Balloon Game Check for this little training exercise.

Murmur To murmur is “to make a low, continued noise, like the hum of bees; to utter complaints in a low, unarticulated voice; to utter sullen discontent.” Key here: continued (nagging) and inarticulate (unable to understand the words)

Mumble and Grumble are the outer expressions of murmuring. Consider a heart murmur. Invisible to the naked eye. Only heard through a stethoscope.

Mumble “To mutter; to speak with the lips partly closed, so as to render the sounds inarticulate and imperfect; to utter words with a grumbling tone. Key here: tone (voice)

Grumble “To murmur with discontent.” [To be discontent is to have “uneasiness or inquietude of mind; dissatisfaction at any present state of things.] Key: discontent and dissatisfaction

The Bible says, “Do everything without complaining or arguing.”

As parents, how do we stop our children from murmuring, mumbling and grumbling? 1.By modeling healthy communication patterns. 2.Establish an action plan. 3.Call a family meeting. 4.Chart the new, healthy patterns of communication expected, such as:

I will be careful not to mumble, grumble or murmur. I will obey the first time I am asked to do something. I will guard my words and use them wisely. If I am upset about something, I will go into my room and calm down. Then, I will go and calmly talk to the person with whom I am upset. I will be cautious not to disrespect those in authority over me. I will put a penny in the “MUMBLE NO MORE” jar on the kitchen counter every time I mumble, murmur or complain. I will be very careful how I use the words, “I WANT.”

5. Stay consistent, consistent, and more consistent. Consistent meaning, “constantly adhering to the same principles; holding firmly together.”

Not telling, not teaching, not commanding. “Training is a word of deep importance for every teacher and parent to understand. It is not telling, not teaching, not commanding, but something higher than all of these. Without training, teaching and commanding often do more harm than good. Training is not telling a child what to do, but showing him how to do it and seeing that it is done. The parent must see to it that the advice or command given is put into practice and adopted as a habit. Success in education depends more on forming habits than instilling rules. What the child has done once or twice he must learn to do over and over again, until it becomes familiar and natural. In this way the habit of obedience is formed and becomes the root of other habits.” (Andrew Murray, “Raising Your Child for Christ”)

Little Life Lessons from “Crispin, the Pig Who Had it All”