My son loves a show called Trash Truck. His pediatrician recommended it as a CocoMelon alternative. It is a terrific kids show. Calm. Pleasant. Story based. The only problem is that there are only two seasons. So, we watch the same shows over and over again. Don’t get me wrong, he does not watch it daily, but in his 3 years of life he probably has seen every episode at least 20 times.
As an almost 3 year old, his use of language has increased dramatically lately. It is such a pleasure interacting with him. He is so inquisitive and fun and funny. As we all do, he has certain catch phrases: “Oh, I see!” “It’s too heavy.” “Reach!” to name a few.
Spoiler alert: Have you ever seen The Usual Suspects? I mean if you are of a certain age, I am almost certain you have seen it. If you are younger than 35 you may have not seen it. I would highly recommend it! What I am about to say will ruin the movie for you! There is a scene where agent Dave Kujan is interviewing Verbal Kint and drops his coffee mug because he sees words that Verbal has used in his interview strewn throughout his office.
This weekend we were getting ready for a party so we plopped our son down in front of Trash Truck and throughout the three or so 15 minute episodes he watched, I heard about 6 of his go to catch phrases. I dropped my coffee mug.
Obviously the mind of a toddler is more pliable than ours as adults, but I think we can take two lessons from this experience. What are you unconsciously absorbing? And what stories are you being told or telling yourself that slip into your psyche and your lexicon?
The first question nor any response is not new. Nothing super profound about the set of stock answers such as: “Garbage in, garbage out.” Or, “surround yourself with people that will elevate you.” Or, “if you are the smartest person in the room, you are in the wrong room.” And this is not to say that Trash Truck is garbage. As I mentioned, it is a great show. We all need shows that allow us to zone out, so I am not advocating for us to be on all the time or only listen to real estate or sales podcasts or watch documentaries on Quantum Physics. Every once in a while, pay attention to what you are saying. Listen to yourself with the ears of a parent checking in on their toddler’s development. Make sure that what you are parroting comes from a place that you want to represent.
Sometimes we can hide the truth from ourselves quite successfully. We can be our own worst Verbal Kints. And sometimes we have no chance, like Agent Dave Kujan. Be vigilant. Work to filter information you receive from the external world and work to discern truth from fiction from the stories you tell yourself.
