OPINIONATED OR PERCEPTIVE?

It takes time to learn the difference between opinionated and perceptive. Sometimes you need space.

When a person close to us ends a long-term relationship, they may reveal negative aspects about their former partner that we had not previously noticed. Maybe, just maybe, others were perceptive and saw some aspects that weren’t good and couldn’t say because they would appear to be opinionated or judgmental.

Similarly, a person can be knowledgeable or a know-it-all. There could be a fine line there as well. Are they correctly informed or simply dogmatic?

Learning to express oneself in English can be challenging, as there are fine lines between similar words with different meanings or even the same word framed differently. For instance, a person can love another or be in love.

It’s fun to watch as our young grandchildren begin to learn the meanings of some powerful words. An important lesson is whether the words are educational or confrontational and having them see that it’s good to be perceptive.