Raising Awesome Kids

I saw a sweet little girl wearing this shirt the other day: 

We all think our children are AWESOME but how often do we tell them? How often do we show them? Are we caught up in the "so much to do" life that we forget to take a few minutes to tell our children? Do they really know? They probably know you love them but do they know you think they are AWESOME

In my work with families, I will go into homes that are having behavior concerns with their children. I watch the interactions between family members. Often there is yelling, back talk, and no respect. Believe it or not, this is coming from the parent! So, why is the child having behavior concerns? Hmmm... 

A child will seek for attention from anyone who is willing to give it. Especially from parents. If the only attention they are getting is negative, that is what they will seek. When a child sees mom or dad being unkind or disrespectful to them or others, they will do the same.  

A child who feels like he/she is AWESOME will want to get that attention from their parent. How do we show them this? Telling them is a great way! Just walk up and tell them at a time that they are playing or when they are doing homework. Simple to do really! They don't need to be doing anything special at the time, just walk up and say "have I told you how AWESOME you are?" How do you feel when you read those words? How do they feel when you say them? 

My daughter and daughter-in-law each send AWESOME notes in their children's lunch kits. Great idea! A simple statement of love and telling them they are great! Children need that reminder in the middle of their school day. My oldest grandson was in 2nd grade and his mom wrote him notes on the outside of his lunch sack. One of the kids at school teased him when they saw it. He came home crying and was really upset. His mom tried to discuss it with him and his reply was " I don't care what they say, I am upset because I don't want you to stop writing them!" He knew his mom thought he was AWESOME! A simple solution to the problem.... mom started writing the notes on the inside of his lunch sack so that he could still read them. By the way, she did this with her daughter in kindergarten also and her friends loved reading them with her at lunch! What a boost of self esteem for both children! 

Simple acts of kindness tells them they are AWESOME! One night as a teenager, I remember going to bed and my feet hit something in my bed. My dad had put a can of beef jerky (which I love) in my bed. What a way to tell me I'm AWESOME! All the pressures of the day were gone. All I could think about was how much he loved me! I still remember those feelings to this day!  

So, what can you do to tell you children they are AWESOME? Comment below to share your ideas with the rest of us! We would love to read them all! Laurie  

PS. I think all our followers are AWESOME!