Idioms
Ron was playing outside when his friend, whom he hadn't heard from in a while, gave him a call. After he hangs up the phone, Ron says, "That was kind of out of the blue for him to call me."
Came from no where
Mom's been prepping for a church event all day. Before the event starts, she wants to make sure the house is clean and dinner is made. "The laundry basket is looking really full," Mom says to you as she's taking out the trash.
What does mom mean?
How might she be feeling? How can we help her?
Can you help with the laundry?
Mom might feel overwhelmed, stressed, anxious, or busy.
We can help her by helping her clean the house and not make any more messes.
It's been a busy week with school, events, and errands. When you wake up, it's pouring rain. Mom says, "Oh, great. Just what I needed today."
What might you and mom be feeling?
What does this mean?
There's already so much going on, and the rain is an added negative to all that's going on.
Your youth group is playing a game together when one kid gets hit in the face with a football.
How might this kid be feeling?
What could you do?
He might be feeling hurt, sad, embarrassed, or humiliated.
You could help the kid walk off the field or get an adult to help him. You could take a break with him to keep him company on the sidelines.
Brooke can't find her homework, she spilled her breakfast on the floor, and she missed the bus for school. "When it rains, it pours," she says.
When one bad thing happens, many other bad things tend to happen at the same time or quickly, often making a difficult situation much worse
What is mom saying?
Can you pick up the library books?
Freddy took too long getting to his class. As he runs through the door, his teacher says, "Wow, you're early!"
What does his teacher mean?
What is his teacher thinking?
He could be thinking, "Freddy should have planned ahead. He also should not be running in the classroom."
Veronica has had a headache all day. She comes home from school and immediately lies on her bed. Her mom asks her to clean her room.
What is Veronica feeling?
What is her mom feeling?
Veronica is probably exhausted, in pain, and wants to rest.
Henry and George are trying to decide on what to do. Henry says, "Maybe we should throw around the football." George responds, "We are on the same wavelength!"
You bring pickle chips to a homeschool outing. One of your friends sits next to you and he says, "Wow, those chips look yummy."
What does your friend mean?
Dad has been sitting on the couch for an hour now, while there is a huge mess of blankets and pillows all around. Mom walks by and says, "Don't work too hard."
What does mom mean?
What is she thinking? What is dad thinking?
Mom is being sarcastic because she wants dad to pick up the mess.
She is probably thinking, "Why isn't he helping pick up the mess?"
Maybe dad is thinking, "Finally, I get a minute to sit and relax."
You've been reading all day when you decide to turn on YouTube for a minute. Mom walks by and tells you to turn it off.
Why did mom ask to turn it off?
What could you say to mom?
Mom probably assumed you had been watching YouTube for a while, and she doesn't want you to have too much screen time that will make your eyes strain or your head hurt.
"Mom, is it okay if I watch for a little longer? I just turned it on, and I have been reading for a long time."
Katie got upset when she was asked to clean her room. She storms off to her room, slams the door, and starts yeling. After a minute, she goes quiet in her room. Taylor, from the other room, says to her mom, "It's just the calm before the storm."
A period of peace or stability before that seems to come before difficult times.
Sarah and Clark have been working on a school project for an hour now. Clark's been getting frustrated, anxious and doesn't know what to do. Sarah says, "I wonder if a break might help you right now."
What does Sarah mean?
Nora and Grace are playing outside. Nora tells Grace, "Did you know that there are 1 million squirrels in that 1 tree?" Grace responds, "Yeah, right."
What does Grace mean?
What might they each be thinking?
Grace doesn't believe Nora.
Nora may have been trying to be funny, or maybe she believes that to be true.
Benny can't find his drawing notebook when he walks by his brother's room and sees the notebook on his desk.
What might Benny be feeling in this moment?
Angry, frustrated, confused, or sad maybe.
Timmy is starting a new school year. His mom walks him inside, and he gets nervous about how many new faces he sees. His mom tells him, "Timmy, go stick your neck out there and introduce yourself to some of those kids."
Make oneself vulnerable, take a risk
Holly is playing music from her tablet really loudly while her sister is drawing. "It might be easier to listen to that music with headphones on," her sister says to her.
What does her sister mean?
Lilly is running down the hall when she slips on some water and falls down. "Smooth!" Christy shouts to her.
What does she mean?
What are they both thinking?
Christy could have been trying to be funny, but could have been mean.
Lilly might feeling embarrassed by Christy calling attention to her
You decide to go play outside when the neighbors come to join you. You all decide to play tag while your brother is stuck inside finishing your homework. You see him watching you guys from the window.
What might he be feeling?
What could you do?
He might be feeling lonely, jealous, annoyed or disappointed.
You could move away from the window to play where he can't watch you. You could be quieter, but still keep playing.