I recently started saying affirmations with my 3-year-old son. I tell him he’s smart, strong, funny, kind, and a variety of other words. Sometimes he’ll repeat them after me, and sometimes he just asks me to say them again. He always gets a big smile on his face when we are done, and it is a really sweet moment that has become a favorite part of my day.
One night I was saying the affirmations to him and he told me to say some about myself. I paused and almost said “No these are for you”, but quickly realized I can also accept these compliments.
I know many of you can relate when I tell you that I get uncomfortable when I’m complimented. It is often hard for me to accept praise. I downplay my successes at work, and I catch myself catastrophizing a situation or focusing on something negative happening instead of being positive. It is a part of my anxious personality, but something I have been working on.
Hearing my son encouraging me to say kind things about myself just really surprised me. I give him compliments all the time, but I never say nice things about myself. It opened my eyes to the fact that we, as parents, need to be kind to ourselves too. If not for us, for our kids, so they see that it’s ok to be proud of yourself. It is just as important to be kind to yourself as it is to be kind to others.
So try to say nice things about yourself in front of your kids and even when you’re alone. This is something I’ve been practicing doing after settling down for the night. I reflect on how my day went, and I try to find something good that happened to show myself a little bit of self-love.
In case no one told you: You are kind, you are strong, you are doing a great job!
