All of us get tangled up in the world of gossip from time to time.  Although I do my best to stay out of the gossip lane, one inevitably has to figure out how to navigate that slippery path.

First and foremost, I try to avoid gossip at all costs.  I am not perfect; when I hear myself start to say something I do my best to change course and avoid any gossip.   Sometimes in the heat of the moment, I slip and am always sorry that I opened my mouth.    

There are times that I am in the middle of a group of adults and the conversation starts to change to gossip.  At that time I have a few alternatives.  One, I can politely leave the area.  Two, if I am in a small group or one-on-one I listen but concentrate my efforts on not contributing to the conversation.  I often find myself praying to God for the grace to keep my mouth shut. 

I have seen time and time again, parents getting in the way of their child’s success, particularly in sports.  Very early on I had a friend give me very good advice.  She said, “Laura, I have learned when I am around parents or coaches to keep my mouth shut.”  That does not mean that if something is unethical or wrong I don’t speak up or do the right thing.  However, it does mean that before I open my mouth I think about how my words will affect my child’s success with the coach and/or teammates.    

My kids often will say, “Why don’t you hang out with this group or that group?”  My answer is very simple.  “Before becoming involved in a group, I always want to know what the group dynamics are and how they treat people.”  For me, it is all about treating people with respect.  It doesn’t matter to me how many people like me or how many people want to hang around me.  It is important to me that I treat people with respect and give everyone else a chance to treat people with respect also. 

I love to spend time with people.  However, I am choosy about who I spend time with daily.  It is not that my bar is set high, it is very simple.  Treat people with respect and love and you are my friend for life.   It is really that simple.  There are certainly people I enjoy spending more time with than others, but if someone is respectful and enjoys people I am happy to spend time with them.  It is difficult to be respectful and treat people with love and at the same time gossip.  Therefore, I avoid gossip and welcome being respectful.  I do pray to God that I will be respectful and avoid gossip.  I am also very thankful I am forgiven for my sins!

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