Affirmation

My smallish bears are both of the female variety. They, and I, are keenly aware of the messages given to them by society, messages that most often center on appearance.  In our house, I work hard to balance those messages with other, more lasting, and maybe even more true, truths.

This February, I’m doing a tiny project. Just fourteen days of non-appearance affirmations. From tomorrow through St. Valentine’s Day (an incredibly strange celebration in its own right), I’ll add a message to each bear’s door. The mindfulness of focusing on what I admire in them helps balance the sometimes heavy burden of parenting, shifting us back towards the glorious joy that is shepherding little minds towards independence.

I don’t know if they’ll take much notice. I don’t know if this will be a memory they will carry for years and years. I do know that they need to read and hear these things. They are more than hips and eyelashes and hairstyles. They are whole souls with boundless creativity waiting to be unleashed. And they should hear these ideas at home.

What message do you want your loved ones to know deep in their bones?