The night before my daughter’s first day of middle school, I handed her a brand-new tube of toothpaste and asked her to squeeze it out onto a plate. She giggled, pressed hard, and watched the paste spill in messy swirls. Then I told her, “Now… put it back in.”

She tried, pushing, scraping, even scooping with her fingers—but finally sighed: “Daddy, I can’t. It won’t ever be the same.”

That’s when I explained: “Exactly. This is how words work. Once they leave your mouth, you can’t put them back. In middle school, your words will matter more than ever. You can use them to wound… or to heal. To tear someone down… or to lift them higher. Every day, you’ll have that choice. So choose carefully. Choose kindness. Be the one who makes others stronger, safer, happier. You’ll never regret being gentle with your words.”

That night, she learned a lesson no textbook could teach: the power of words—and the even greater power of kindness. 💖🌟