Rumor Has It

Do you remember that game called telephone? Someone tells someone a story, then they tell the story to someone else, but change it slightly or add something to it. By the time it's done the story is completely different. The game is to teach kids about rumors and gossip. We have all been victims of gossip and rumors and we have all at one time purpetuated it. It is human nature. We hear a juicy tidbit of information and just have to share it with someone.

Last night I was watching one of my favorite movies...Steel Magnolias. Aside from making me bawl like a baby even after the 100th time of watching it, it also is the perfect example of gossip. A bunch of women get together in a beauty shop and gossip about the locals. It got me to thinking about how natural this is for people to do this, but it can be harmful and hurtful too.

Over the last few years I have heard quite a bit of gossip. I have also learned that 95% of it is not true. Some of it was about friends. I actually went to one of my friends and told him what rumor I heard. He was really upset and offended. He then clarified it for me. After clarifying several rumors this way, I realized that most rumors are untrue and I need to be careful what I believe and what I repeat.

I have also learned that if there is something about my life that I want to keep private, don't share it with ANYONE! As you can tell, I'm pretty open about my life. I have a blog for goodness sake, but there are somethings that I won't share...no matter what. Stories get twisted around and misunderstandings happen.

A good example of a rumor is, my kids came home and told me about a neighborhood kid that had gone missing the day before. They both said he was still missing. I was very upset by this. I decided to check out the validity of the rumor, so I called the aunt of the child. I figured if the rumor was untrue, they should know about it and if it was true, then I could offer my time and whatever else they needed. She said he in fact had gone missing the day before, but thankfully he was found right away and he was just fine! What a big relief! My kids and I had to have a talk about spreading rumors and they need to make sure what they are saying is the truth.

I just want to say, that if any of you hear a rumor about me, please tell me. If it makes me sound exciting I just might say it's true!