The other night, I was scrolling through old pictures (I do that sometimes) and I came across a video of my oldest daughter and I from a couple of years ago. She is about two years old in it – and while to her we are simply playing a “repeat after me” game, to me, it honestly brought tears to my eyes. (scroll down for video)
Just as hard as it is for us to parent these days, it’s hard for kids to grow up. Thanks to the advances of technology and social media, kids are being forced to grow up faster, they are being bombarded with things that test their character at early ages, they are faced with screen time that is essentially a gateway into heavy issues like comparison, jealousy, bullying, cliques, etc.
Technology isn’t going anywhere, obviously. And while it definitely offers complications to life/parenting, i’m hopeful for the good it can do (hi from the other side of the internet!)
All of this to say, it’s a mission of mine to raise my kids knowing certain truths – that they are loved, worthy, important, etc. Through simple affirmations, the intent is to help them build a solid foundation for their character and ultimately their future. My prayer is that these truths will forever intertwine throughout the essence of their character. My goal, and daily prayer, is to raise joyful, kind, confidant, strong, compassionate, brave, christian young women, and I do believe that this starts at home with the language they hear on a daily basis.
I think I had just gotten done watching that movie, The Help (an example of positive media) and was inspired. Looking back, this video is a reminder for me, that purposefully telling your kids positive affirmations can’t start too young. At 2 they may not quite understand what “you are smart” means… or as she repeats in the video, “I so farmt”… the words will stay with them forever. This game of repeat after me, is so simple, but as you can see, so fun 🙂
These are my favorite affirmations to tell my kids:
- You are smart/talented
- You are kind/nice/sweet
- You are beautiful
- You are helpful
- You are strong
- I am proud of you
- You make me happy
- That’s a great question
- You have such great ideas
- Good job
And of course, the one you can’t ever say too much…. I LOVE YOU!
Be Intentional
One of my all time favorite words is “intentional” or “with intent” or really any variation of that word. To me this word conveys a depth of thought, conscious being, and an honorable way of conducting yourself. When you do something with “intention” it means you have thought thoroughly about the situation, it means there is passion and a story behind it all – it means that you have a personal conviction behind your actions. By being intentional about the way we parent, and the words we use daily, the hope is that they will soon will become habit and forever preserved into the foundation our children build their lives on.
This makes me look back on that one time my parents had concrete poured for the foundation of my dads garage. My mom had all of us put our handprints in the concrete as she wrote our names in it with a stick. Just as our handprints and our names are forever imprinted in the foundation of that building, the language our kids hear on a daily basis is forever imprinted in the foundation of their lives.
What other positive affirmations do you like to tell your kids? I’d love to hear!
xo J
The other one I found from our little game… too cute not to share!
