30 Days to Being a Purposeful Mommy, Day 20

Day 20: Take Time to be Proud of your Kids

I don´t think it´s hard to be proud of your kids, whatever their ages, but I do think it´s easy to forget to do it. The life of a child, and even of a teen and young adult, is filled with firsts. We get really excited about the first word or first step, but somewhere along the line we seem to forget to get excited about other firsts. 

Aside from firsts, there are also other glowing opportunities to be proud of the munchkins, like when they obey you, when they help a sibling, or when they clean their room without you telling them to. Those are moments that make you feel proud of your children, if you´re paying attention (which I know you are, because you are a purposeful mommy!).

So the next step is to convey that to your kiddos. Praise them for whatever they did, and make them feel like it was a big deal. Because the best part of your kids doing something awesome is watching them smile with self-satisfaction. It´s even better when that smile grows because they realize they made you proud.

Hosts of people are in therapy as adults because they feel like they never had the approval of their parents. My thinking is that if you´re human you probably need some therapy, but I think this is one pitfall of parenting that we can all avoid. Just look for one thing every day that gives your the opportunity to praise your children. It will reinforce good behavior, and give them a sense of security in your love and approval. Plus, it´s just more fun to spend the day smiling and clapping than it is to spend it frowning and yelling. :)