Accepting our children for who they are. Not being mini-mes or trying to fit into what we “Think” is right for them. They come in with their own Purpose, and they chose us as their parent and/or guardian, even step parent. 

Treat them with the respect and love they deserve to be who they want to be. Each child is unique and has their very own timeline. 

They can not be compared with other siblings. “Do like your sister/brother” or “why are you not like her/him” or even “you better stop that or you actually WILL end up like your older sibling”. My own sisters got compared to me by my own stepfather (no wonder they didn’t like me much growing up ;)). But I can not remember him praising me for much of anything.

Hence why I think it is so damaging playing the comparison game. It’s not cool, and yet it happens so much. I get that as their primary caregivers, nurturers, protectors and role models that we don’t want them to repeat the same “mistakes” we did. But they have to make their OWN mistakes. They will need to test things out for themselves. We did. Our parents did. So why can’t our children?

Let them build their own perseverance muscle – and check in next time we try to make them happy when they go into disappointment or any other so-called “negative” emotion. We all have to feel the range of our emotions so that we don’t grow up and have to go to therapy …. again (not that there is anything wrong with that if you do go) (I am all for it) . Food for thought as we become more awake to ourselves.