By Patriarch Sir Godfrey Gregg The saying, “What a child says, it has heard at home,” reminds us that words are a legacy passed down, just as surely as land or family name. Children repeat not from invention but from inheritance, and their earliest teachers are the parents and elders who shape them. Among the African proverbs, it is said, “When the roots are deep, there is no reason to fear the wind.” If the roots—meaning the words, wisdom, and habits planted at home—are strong, then the child will stand firm against the storms of life. But if the roots are shallow and poisoned by careless speech, envy, or quarrels, the child’s character bends easily toward trouble. Caribbean wisdom often declares, “Every rope has two ends, and every word two sides.” In other words, the words we speak go out, but they also return home in the mouths of our children. A careless curse may fly out in anger, yet we hear it again when the child quarrels with a neighbour or classmate. How often does the phrase “Pickney have ears like a sponge” remind us that children soak up everything? They not only repeat our words—they repeat our tones, our jokes, our secret complaints, even our prejudices. This truth binds us to a high calling. The home must be the first classroom of respect, truth, and reverence for God. When a child hears the grace before meals, they learn to appreciate gratitude. When they listen to apologies, they learn humility. When they hear, “One hand can’t clap,” they learn that community and cooperation matter more than selfish pride. And when they hear, “Do not call the forest that shelters you a jungle,” they learn to appreciate rather than despise their roots. We must, therefore, weigh our words carefully. Let us sow into our children the language of faith and dignity, rich with sayings that uplift. Let the African wisdom, “A child is what you put into him,” be our guide, and the Caribbean reminder, “Every hoe must stand in its own corner,” teach responsibility. The words they hear at home today are tomorrow’s voice in the wider world. If our homes release words of kindness, discipline, and blessing, then the future is secure, because our children will speak life, and not death.