ENGLISH MUM: never knowingly undercatered

So yesterday we were sitting in traffic yet again having made a fruitless shoe shopping journey of epic proportions (sorry and all that, but pleeeease can we have an M3 sometime soon?) and #1 starts to tell this story that Mr D, their Headmaster, told them. It really captured their imagination and I think you’ll like it for your own children, or for yourself if you’re so inclined. By the way, this was relayed to me by a small boy so apologies to Mr D for any deviation from the original.

The basic gist, which was told to them in the form of a story, was that a child starts to tell his mother a snippet of playground gossip. ‘Hold on’, says his mother. ‘Remember that before you say anything, you should first pass it through the three sieves:

Sieve 1: Truth. Is it true? If it’s not, and it gets stuck in sieve 1, then it should never be passed on.
Sieve 2: Kindness. Is it kind? Again, if it gets caught in this sieve, then it’s best not said
Sieve 3: Necessity. Is it necessary? The third and final test. Must you say it?

The theory being that if the information cannot pass the test of these three sieves, it shouldn’t be aired. I love this. And I think Mr D is a genius for getting across an important message in a very simple way. No religion, no fire and brimstone, just plain old thinking before you speak.

So next time you’re about to say something, pass it through Mr D’s three sieves. I think you’ll be surprised how much stuff you keep to yourself.