My wife has long quoted a college professor as saying “catch them doing something good.” And who can argue with that?! Especially if you grew up hearing how you always came up short, or never received any kudos or “way to go’s”.
And I heard more recently “don’t get caught up so much in trying to raise good kids and forget you already have good kids” (and your kids come equipped with skills and gifts that are so cool and so unique to them).
The more you study them, the more you’ll see their skills and gifts—and sooner than you ever imagined. Let’s face it, life is often an uphill battle. And while that’s not bad—it DOES build character with the right mindset— it always helps for a little well-placed encouragement along the way.
I know what it’s like to get dehydrated in an endurance race like a marathon or a half ironman (that’s a whole ‘nother story). Systems start shutting down and becoming compromised before the end of the race. In the same way, kids can easily get emotionally dehydrated if they don’t get encouragement regularly.
And a few words work wonders—again, if they’re backed up with actions and authenticity.
