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My two year old is smack dab in the middle of being potty trained. She had just gone potty in the big girl potty and she came out beaming! Her nightgown was tucked into her pull up and was sticking out the bottom side of it. I knelt down in front of her, looked her in the eyes, and said, “You are so smart!” She looked at me with her nightgown all askew and said proudly, “I am ‘mart!”
My daughter wasn’t convinced that she was smart because she was perfect at all she was trying to accomplish. She believed she was smart because her Mommy told her she was. Our kids believe about themselves what we tell them. If we regularly tell them they are lazy, annoying, stupid, etc… they will come to be convinced of the very things we are declaring over them.
But even if they don’t have it all together, and we start telling them: You are smart! You are a hard worker! You are very responsible! Guess what… they will start to not only believe it, but want to live up to how their parent sees them. Whether our child is two and potty training or a teen with pimples and a messy room, our words are profoundly powerful!
The more my husband brags about how sweet I am, the more I want to be sweet to him. I may want to whip out an attitude, but then I remember that this guy has really been speaking highly of me and I don’t want to let him down.
We can create an atmosphere in our family of positivity and growth, where we are always giving our kids something to aspire to. Or we can confirm self-doubt and degradation that they are probably already struggling with.
God’s words created the entire universe! Likewise, our words can create success or failure in the hearts our own kids.
Father God, I’m sorry for when I have used my words to tear down my family. Please give me the strength and creativity to speak life into the people You’re trusting me to raise. Please remind me as I go throughout my day to look for opportunities to speak success over and into my children.