My 13 year old son bought an old, used tape recorder at a yard sale a couple of weeks ago.  He is enthralled with it.  He told me proudly that he was taping a couple of cd's so he could have them on tape.  I chuckled to myself- I remember taping records to tapes!

He has been taping around the house for a few days and then playing back what he has taped.  I listened to one of his playbacks and was first shocked, and then dismayed at what I heard.  No, not one of the kids mouthing off.  It was me.  My voice was so hard and so ugly.  I wasn't chewing anyone out, I was just giving instructions.  Frankly, if I was one of the kids, I wouldn't have wanted to listen to me.  What happened to me?  If the phone rings, I don't talk like that to the person on the other end.

I have let myself get in a bad habit and thanks to his tape recorder, I am trying to change the way I speak to my children. But I can't do it.  God has to do it through me and remind my 24/7 to be aware of how I'm speaking. 

If you want a quick reality check, have someone tape record your day.