As true as that is, there is something that matters even more:

Communication.

Did you ever listen to a young child as they tell you a story, or try to express their needs? Their language is devoid of all the language rules, and yet you know what they are trying to convey.

Constant corrections can disrupt the flow of thought or embarrass the speaker. It kills attempts at gaining understanding and may even stop some from speaking at all.

Listening to NPR, I am always impressed that people from around the world, for whom English is not their native language, can express what is happening in their country, their village, their hearts, however imperfectly.

More important than the rules of grammar is the message. We need to give others permission to imperfectly express themselves.

Sr. Agnes Claire drilled the importance of grammar into our 14-year-old heads, for which I am grateful. But as I get older, I hear my silent snob in the back of my mind wanting to correct another, and I must remember to turn my attention outward to hear what is being said, not how.

We all have an inner snob. What we don’t have is superior permission to diminish others, nor can we afford not to seek understanding of their perspectives.

Go forth and communicate as best you can. I want to hear how others think and feel.

I truly want to know,” watcha thinkin’?”

Mary