How many times do we say stop that? don’t make a mess? hurry up? and miss out on and thus limit the opportunities to let our kids grow, explore, and thrive? Kids need space. They need the gift of wonder. They need us to let them simply, well, simply go after their dreams. This is why:
Listen. We have tremendous power as parents to bless our children. We can gift them with a world full of potential, full of ambitions, full of rules that don’t need to be defined by the rules we thought were the norms.
Let them dream.
Let them hope.
Let them create.
Let them try.
Don’t limit.
Tell them they’re pretty. (Or handsome.)
But beyond that tell them they’re pretty amazing as well.
[Tweet “Don’t limit with words. Instead use your words to inspire. “]
4 comments
I agree completely. It’s all about balance. I don’t think it’s wrong to compliment kids on their attractiveness, as long as we equally praise other areas, such as intelligence, creativity, talent, etc. Beauty is a part of who they are as a person. This aversion to telling a child that they’re pretty/handsome is going to end up backfiring in the long run.
I love the swing in advertising recently putting more emphasis on what girls are capable of and who they can be. It’s nice to see the step away from ‘Some day my Prince will come’ to a more ‘I rescue myself’ mentality. One of my mantras for raising Abi comes from Geena Davis: “If she can SEE it, she can BE it”.
I don’t mind if Abi wants to be seen as pretty, that’s her right. Besides…I am certain that every Doc Marten wearing, lab coat rockin’, Starbucks guzzling, super scientific political genius wants to be told she looks good some days. 😉
Praying right now!
Psalms 34:15, 17-19 The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry…The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles. The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all.
My comment actually posted last night! They haven’t been.
Praying!
Psalms 5:1-3 Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my meditation. Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God: for unto thee will I pray. My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.