Thriving over Striving
It’s not hard to inspire children. They thrive under a certain condition. The condition is as follows: Admire your kids. It’s really that simple.
Your children want you to love them, sure. But they especially want you to know them for who they are.
- They thrive when you admire their competence.
- They strive when you praise their achievements.
Let’s pick thriving over striving.
Here are some examples.
There’s a difference between “Good job” and “You kept me in suspense in that opening line. I couldn’t wait to read more.”
They feel capable when you say: “Your gentleness after I lost my cool helped me get back on my feet.”
They feel known when you say: “It must have taken you a lot of thought to decide you didn’t want to play that sport any more.”
They feel pleased with themselves when you offer an encouraging nod or wink privately.
They want to know that when you look at the composite picture of who they are, you see someone who is making it—someone who has what it takes to arrive on the shores of adulthood, ready to tackle whatever comes their way.
Admire your kids. Notice their inherent worth and competence. Express that admiration in concrete terms. Do for them what you wish your parents had done for you.
It’s that simple, yes.
This post is originally from Instagram and @juliebravewriter is my account there so come follow along for more conversations like this one!
