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The Biggest Lie I Heard in Nursery School
Life and death are in the power of the tongue
Your teacher meant well.
The verse she taught sounded so innocent, so comforting. And it’s all true, except for the last line.
Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.
I found out the hard way that statement is a load of cow patties. You know, the ones that litter the field out there — not burgers if you know what I mean.
Three ways words hurt me
One morning when I was in fourth grade, a bully approached me and demanded I give him my lunch money.
“You got some money? Give it to me and I won’t hurt you.”
I might have said no if he didn’t look like the abominable snowman. He was six and a half feet tall, had almost white hair, and must have weighed 300 pounds. He might have been old enough to drive a car.
Since he outweighed me by at least a hundred pounds, I gave him whatever he wanted.
Fortunately for me and my wallet, I never saw him again. I either got good at hiding or the cops took him away.
The next bully was a teacher.
