The Moment I Made Her World Smaller

Nadia Granski

May 4

1 min read

Updated: Oct 9

I don't drink soda. It's simply too sweet for my taste, so it's a rare guest in our house.

When my daughter brought home an energy drink and poured it into a glass, I got curious about the bright blue color.

"Can I try it?" I asked. She nodded.

I took a sip. Yeah, unbearably sweet. And without thinking, I said,

"That's disgusting."

She looked at me, and I watched her smile disappear.

"Mom, what did you just do? I was excited to drink it, and now you've ruined it. If you don't like it, you can say it's too sweet for you. But 'disgusting' is not a fact. It's your opinion."

I felt it immediately. I hadn't shared a preference. I had delivered a verdict. And in that moment, I made her world smaller, not safer.

That day, I learned something I still remind myself of: we don't lose connection in big conversations. We lose it in quick, automatic reactions.

When we present our perspective as a final truth, our kids stop inviting us into their world. And once that door closes quietly, we rarely notice it happening, until one day we're standing on the wrong side of it.

A couple of questions before you go:

Where in your life are you delivering verdicts when what's needed is a preference?

Whose world might you be shrinking without realizing it?

With intention,

Nadia Granski