Encourage Kids With Positive Labels
When I was thirteen and starting junior high, I wanted to reinvent myself. I didn’t think my regular self would be exciting or interesting enough to make new friends. I can’t imagine what it must feel like to be that age now when your mother has written your personal stories on Facebook or blogs because she thought they were funny or cute, not considering privacy or preference.
Labels mattered that year; they were more important than they had ever been. I was more easily embarrassed, everything felt amplified and personal, and my friends and I didn’t even know what all the words and names meant, but we could tell by the way they were uttered in the junior high hallways that most of them were bad.
We get into the habit of discussing our kids when they can hear us. It starts when they are newborns; it continues into their childhood with discussions that go over their heads. We forget that it doesn’t take long for them to understand us, and not only do they know what we say about them, but they memorize every word.
Take that opportunity to point out the good qualities in your kids and other people’s children. Hearing it come from someone else’s mouth makes it seem more true and valid.
Seeing it in print is even better, because they can look at it again.
It feels different when someone else says those words to confirm what you already think about yourself. They will hear enough that is negative. Let’s label our kids with words that emphasize their best qualities.
Do you remember making these name acrostics? Create cards, gift tags, signs for their rooms, or even notes for their lunches with words that let them know we think they are the best, so they’ll believe it too.
Need help with a nice adjective that starts with R? Trying to think of a personality trait that starts with O? Here are some positive words to help get you started:
adored, ambitious, artistic, attentive, attractive, authentic, beautiful, beloved, brave, bright, brilliant, caring, cheerful, cherished, clever, compassionate, committed, confident, considerate, courageous, courteous, creative, curious, delightful, dependable, determined, devoted, eloquent, encouraging, entertaining, enthusiastic, exploring, expressive, extraordinary, faithful, friendly, funny, generous, genuine, genius, gentle, giving, gracious, handsome, helpful, honest, hopeful, humorous, intelligent, interesting, joking, joyful, kind, loved, loving, loyal, motivated, musical, neat, nice, noble, noticed, optimistic, original, outgoing, outstanding, patient, peaceful, persistent, positive, pretty, quality, radiant, reliable, remarkable, resourceful, respectful, responsible, selfless, sensational, sensitive, sincere, smart, sociable, spontaneous, steadfast, strong, thankful, trustworthy, truthful, understanding, unique, unwavering, upbeat, valuable, vibrant, virtuous, wonderful, youthful, zeal, zest
