What I Wish I Could Help My Children Believe!

Loved this movie!

As a Mom one of the hardest things for me to deal with is when my kids are discouraged, or feel like they aren't good enough.  I know it's not unusual because all five of my children have struggled with this at some point or another.  You know when they feel like there is nothing special about them.  That everyone else can do what they can do as well or better than they can.  Or that because they aren't skilled at something it somehow diminishes their value as a person.  I just want to be able to open their eyes to see how amazing they truly are, I want them to be able to see themselves as I see them.  Sometimes no matter how much you tell your kids how talented and good they are they won't or don't want to believe you.  Perhaps it's a lack of perspective.  It is so easy to only see the here and now.  It is so easy to think that the only kind of talents that are important are the ones that can be "performed".  It is also so easy to think that other people have it easier then you. The older you get you gain more wisdom and see the bigger picture a little more clearly, but even with a better perspective I find that I still get discouraged and wish that I was better at certain things, and feel incompetent.  So does Heavenly Father feel the same way I do as a mother.  Does He wish we would just believe what he tells us-that we are His divine offspring.  That we can do ALL things with His help, and that there is so much more to life than what we see at the moment.

So I guess I will just keep encouraging and reminding my kids that they are amazing, and hopefully someday they will believe me.

Kind of along the same lines-I am grateful for an outstanding teacher that all three of my youngest children have had, who supports me in my efforts to encourage my children. She is one who can make any child feel good about themselves (at least temporarily).  She has raved about all three of my kids and they couldn't be more different.  Grant has her right now and as we sat at Parent Teacher Conference, she was talking to him about his goal to talk less when he was supposed to be working.  But instead of leaving it on this kind of negative note (although completely true) she said,"But this is a great thing about you Grant.  You love everyone.  You are kind to everyone."  She then just encouraged him to continue his friendly behavior at more appropriate times.  He left feeling good about himself instead of feeling like a bad person for talking too much. 

Thanks to pinterest for all the quotes.  I love a good quote-that makes you stop and think.  Or laugh-like this last one. I can get hooked in almost any football game, and have been known to get more than just a little passionate about it.  (I do realize that not everyone likes football, and that is just fine and does not make you less of a man or woman because of it!)