I Can Read Your Mind, Just Show Me Your Body: Silent Communication

For the most part I depend on what I observe and feel to guide me through life. I have become adept at deciphering the meaning of signals and gestures from other people.

When you have children, it is absolutely essential that you learn to interpret what their bodies are saying to you.

During his happy times one of my sons runs to do whatever it is you ask of him. But when he is mad at me, he either goes to bed and sleeps or doesn’t want to eat. If I ask him to do something he doesn’t like doing, his body moves like it is made out of elastic – he just drags it out.

Another son is cagey. How do I know he is cagey? He will lock himself in his room when he doesn’t want me to talk to him. As soon as he sees me enter the living room he will create an excuse to leave the room. When he disagrees with me or he is about to tell me something, he will clear his throat. It’s up to me to interpret all that.

I can prevent a lot of bad feelings before they explode when I understand the body signals that my spouse, children or friends send to me. When my spouse disagrees with me, her neck and face stiffen and her lower lip quivers when she is mad. When I am not stubborn, I change the subject and abort a confrontation.

When I am stubborn and spoiling for a fight, she tells me my hand shakes, and I snarl in a deeper and louder voice. She has learnt how to ignore me at such times.

Yet another son will hang around the living room, not saying very much but tries to make eye contact with me. At such times I know that he wants to talk to me.

At other times when everything in my family is going very well, I don’t need to hear words to know that. Similarly I don’t need words to know that my spouse is mad at me. I just watch her body to read her mind. Such is the power of silent communication.

By William Muhwezi