I am a very busy person. A work-aholic by nature. I get dug into things that I do and loss all sense of time and perspective sometimes. Yesterday someone took the time to look me in the eyes and tell me that they really appreciated me and thanked me for being around. This was completely out of the blue and made me take a step back and smile.
I have 4 children. Two kids in college one in high school and a forth grader. I love my kids intensely but I recognized last night that while I have spent time with my children, hugged them fed them helped them with their homework, I hadn't looked them in the eyes lately and told them that they are wonderful, or told them that they are amazing and can do anything. So last night I did just that. The response I got was mixed.
My oldest (my daughter) told me that she thought I was wonderful too, then thanked me for the reminder.
My oldest son asked me if I had hit my head on something and went back to doing his homework (with a smile on his face though).
My high-schooler told me that he was quite aware that he was all that AND a bag of chips and wondered why I was just figureing that out.
My youngest just smiled and cuddled with me for a very long time.
The point?
Kindness, self appreciation and appreciation for others begins at home. I just wanted to remind those parents out there the same thing that I was reminded of last night. It isn't enough to assume that your kids know that they are remarkable human beings, unique with a lot to offer the world. Sometimes you need to take a moment and drive the point home.
BTW, this isn?t just for kids. Have you told a friend or co-worker something nice out of the blue lately? Who knows you may be inspiring greatness by doing so.
I wanted to thank the person who helped me remember this so I thought the best way to do that was to pass it on.
Ann
P.S. you may now scrape the cheesy fluff off of your monitor.