Be who you are - it's been my slogan this year with Lil Man. He's really come out of his shell, but at the same time he's picked up some habits from others that I'd rather him not have. And I'm sure he's showed some other children habits their parents would rather them not have. But this year, especially the last couple of months, most days (sometimes several times a day) I have to say be who YOU are. Don't be who someone else is. Be YOU. God made you who YOU are.
Wow I've come a long way with some of this parenting stuff. I remember when he was late to walk and late to talk and late to whatever milestone that I felt was SO life or death important. And I felt the pressure to get him where his peers were. What was I thinking? It took me a little while, but I finally realized that Lil Man would get there when he got there. Sure, if he needs a little encouragement and extra help, I will be happy to do it and get him any extra help he might need should he need it. But the pressure to compare him with his peers is no longer there.
At the beginning of the school year,
he couldn't follow commands to simple songs. At the end of his school year he was singing, doing hand motions and whatever else was required of him. Were there kids in his class that could do all of this the first day of school? Well sure, but I knew in time he'd get there - and he did.
Today, he wanted to paint. And he insisted on painting his airplane like the picture below. I told him he needed to paint the wing and he flipped it over to show me that he did it this way. In the past I would have encouraged him to paint the front side 'as it should be'. Today, I told him it was his painting and to do it however he wanted to.
In addition to Lil Man, I've had this conversation repeatedly with myself. Be who YOU are. Don't feel the pressure to always be equal to or even better than your peers. Be the best YOU that you can be. What works for someone else might not work for you. Just because someone else can follow this plan or that plan doesn't mean that it will work for you. So find what works for YOU. Don't feel the pressure to conform to what everyone says is the 'right way' to do things. This applies to Motherhood, working out, nutrition, and the list goes on and on.
So I encourage you to be who YOU are and strive to be the best version of YOU.
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Wow I've come a long way with some of this parenting stuff. I remember when he was late to walk and late to talk and late to whatever milestone that I felt was SO life or death important. And I felt the pressure to get him where his peers were. What was I thinking? It took me a little while, but I finally realized that Lil Man would get there when he got there. Sure, if he needs a little encouragement and extra help, I will be happy to do it and get him any extra help he might need should he need it. But the pressure to compare him with his peers is no longer there.
At the beginning of the school year,
he couldn't follow commands to simple songs. At the end of his school year he was singing, doing hand motions and whatever else was required of him. Were there kids in his class that could do all of this the first day of school? Well sure, but I knew in time he'd get there - and he did.
Today, he wanted to paint. And he insisted on painting his airplane like the picture below. I told him he needed to paint the wing and he flipped it over to show me that he did it this way. In the past I would have encouraged him to paint the front side 'as it should be'. Today, I told him it was his painting and to do it however he wanted to.
In addition to Lil Man, I've had this conversation repeatedly with myself. Be who YOU are. Don't feel the pressure to always be equal to or even better than your peers. Be the best YOU that you can be. What works for someone else might not work for you. Just because someone else can follow this plan or that plan doesn't mean that it will work for you. So find what works for YOU. Don't feel the pressure to conform to what everyone says is the 'right way' to do things. This applies to Motherhood, working out, nutrition, and the list goes on and on.
So I encourage you to be who YOU are and strive to be the best version of YOU.
Share this on Facebook?
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