With only 4 days left in the school year, I scheduled to have lunch with “the boy” at school today. He enjoys having me come in (I think it’s the fast food I bring) and I enjoy stepping into his world for 30 minutes. I get the opportunity to observe his circles of influence and see what the other kids at his school are like. I took the opportunity today to ask about several people in the cafeteria. One of the men I inquired about was the guy in charge of keeping the cafeteria and lunch hour running like a well oiled machine.
When I asked about this gentleman, “the boy” asked me a question I was not prepared for. I’m still not sure I can answer it. He simply said “He always says that loose lips sink ships…what does that mean“? My attempt to answer that question was poor at best. How do you explain that to a 7 year old? I could give him several examples of how this can be applied in life (friends, churches, offices, families), but didn’t feel it appropriate. So I did what anyone in the 21st century would do….I googled it when I got home.
In case you wondered, below is where it comes from. In order to explain it…you’re on your own.
This phrase was coined as a slogan during WWII as part of the US Office of War Information’s attempt to limit the possibility of people inadvertently giving useful information to enemy spies. The slogan was actually ‘Loose Lips Might Sink Ships. This was one of several similar slogans which all came under the campaigns basic message – ‘Careless Talk Costs Lives‘.
