The Help

This is my favorite line from the movie, The Help, it is another reminder we are our children’s # 1 cheerleader.

Self-affirmation is important for our children. Even though my daughter is 22, I remind her that she can do anything she sets her mind too. It is easy as parents to get into a micro management role, controlling and making every decision for our children for fear they may make a mistake or God forbid fail. We have to be strong and let them try things and experience the consequences first hand. We have to let them problem solve, instead of doing everything for them.

young Amani

I remember when my daughter was in the first grade, and this child could not spell to save her life. On this particular day she came home with a spelling test in which she spelled about 3 words out of 10 correctly. She was so proud of her accomplishment and went on to tell me that she got a “D” and wanted to call her grandmother and share the news. I will never forget I dialed my mom and she said “Grandmother I got a “D”! ” , and my mother said oh “You got a “B”?”, and she repeated proudly “No, a “D” I got 3 right”.

Now I could have went into the mode of, OK you are going to sit down and memorize all these words, or I could do what I did which was celebrate that “D” and and tell her “I bet next time you can get 5 right” and in the back of my mind I knew there was spell check and the “confidence” of believing in herself  was more important than being able to memorize words. So I proudly stuck the “D” paper up on the refrigerator.

This video that went viral a few years back, makes me smile every time I watch it. The affirmations of this little one…

So those of you with little ones, and I’m including aunties, uncles, God parents, mentors, guardians, grandparents, etc., uplift these little people and the big ones, let them know you believe in them and support them. Tell them “You is kind, You is Smart, You is Important”

Xoxo,

Gigi

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