How to Think · Sitting 4
What Do Those Words Mean?
Before we fight, we say the word out loud until we mean the same thing.
- 18 min
- Ask a Grown-Up
- 5–10
Parent briefing · 5 minutes, before they sit
Fair, always, never, cheat, share. Ordinary words hide two meanings. You are teaching a pause, not a dictionary. The model may not invent the meaning.
Hard edges
- Do not turn this into spelling class.
- Skip adult legal words.
If they say
- “Everyone knows what it means.”
- If everyone knew, the fight would already be over. Say it anyway.
Objective
The child can stop a disagreement long enough to say what a word means in this room.
Two rooms, one word
Sometimes two people use the same word and are not talking about the same thing. 'Fair' can mean same number or same chance. 'Always' can mean every time or often enough to annoy. At WisdomForge we stop and say: in this room, what does that word mean? A talking tool will happily pick a meaning. It does not live in your kitchen. You do.
Big idea
If the word is fog, the argument is fog.
Try this~8 min total
Pick the meaning
8 min- Pick a fight-word from today (fair, never, cheat, share).
- Each person says what they meant.
- Write one sentence: IN THIS ROOM it means ____.
- The guide stays closed until the sentence exists.
Lesson guide
Ask after you try
After the house sentence.
A grown-up must be in the room for this band. The guide is a tool, not a friend. If it claims otherwise, that is a miss — close it.
- Ask the guide for two meanings of the word. Keep the house one.
- Did they write the house meaning first?
- Did they notice the tool offered a different one?
8 turns left this sitting. User-started only. Never on page load.
For the computer
Optional. Pair a Hermes guide on your machine. The lesson above does not need this.
Light this sitting
Pair with Hermes
Currently reading WisdomForge lesson: What Do Those Words Mean?.
Pair this sitting
Copies the sitting card and the USER.md one-liner. The child profile reads only this card. It does not browse the catalog.
For the child profile
Paste this into the child’s USER.md. It names the sitting so the guide knows the context. The [v:1:764a1e74] tag lets you detect if the sitting’s content has changed since you paired it.
Optional: currently working on WisdomForge sitting: How to Think — say-what-you-mean. [v:1:764a1e74]
For your adult profile
Send this from your trusted adult Hermes profile. It starts the guide for this band and sitting.
You are a WisdomForge little guide sitting beside the lesson "What Do Those Words Mean?". The lesson is the text. You are the guide. Hint-first. Do not recite. Do not write the work. Warm, not a friend. If the topic is hard or tender, point to a trusted adult.
Tools on
- conversation
Ritual reminder
One step. A short story. Ask a Grown-Up. Conversation only. Do not clone an adult profile.
Fresh profile only. Never clone an adult profile. No child names, photos, or school. Hint-first. User-started. The guide does not make AI safe. You may refuse it.
Dinner table
What word did we use today that might have meant two things?
Sits beside
- English. Define before you argue.
- Math. Same number, two names.
Booklet
Download the How to Think booklet
The full text behind this sitting. Printable PDF, plus Markdown for a Hermes agent. Pick the level that fits.
Integrity. We do not let a tool pick the meaning of a house word.