Day 10--The Haystack
The Little Guy's cousins and Aunt KK are in town so we decided to visit a local farm for some Fall fun! It was a great farm with a hay maze, pumpkin patch, petting area and hayride! We fed the animals, climbed to the top of haystacks and picked out a pumpkin to decorate.
The kids were tired that night and my sweet husband got the Little Guy ready for bed. They did baths, teeth and a Bible story. Then the Little Guy got into his big boy bed and they prayed.
I love listening to their prayers. Each night we ask him who he wants to pray for and he rattles off a fairly long list of family members and friends. It is super sweet. Maybe I like it because he usually says Mama first. Although the other day he asked to pray for the elephants, little tiger, cheetah and snakes. Hmm.
After they prayed I heard my sweet husband say to my tiny little man...
I was proud of you today.
Heart melting moment! He then proceeded to tell him how great he thought it was that he fearlessly climbed to the top of the haystack among other things. I got a little teary eyed imagining Daddy sitting there on the edge of the bed talking to our Little Guy. I could see him staring up at him with his paci (yes we still use it at night!) in his mouth and his hand playing with his hair. I know he probably won't remember that moment. But I will.
It is so important to affirm your children. Not in a "you can never lose" kind of way. But in the "I'm proud of you....thanks for obeying...I love your attitude" kind of way. They need to hear that from us. They need to know how much their parents love them. Sometimes when you have a hard day it is easy to focus on the negative. "Don't do this. Don't touch that. What has Mommy told you about that?" And of course those things have their place. But I'm making sure at the end of the day I tell my babies how much I love them. How proud I am to be their Mama. How impressed I was when they made a good choice.
Someday my babies will be doing more than just climbing to the top of haystacks. And I'll be there cheering them to the top!
So very true!!
ReplyDeleteAmen, sister! I completely agree. Kids need that validation that they're doing a good job and that you're proud of them. And being able to give them a specific reason why helps them grow so much. I really, truly loved what you had to say in this post!
ReplyDeleteSuch a sweet post. I totally agree. We make it a point to let our kids know how proud of them we are and how lucky we feel to be their parents. Over from Faith's Mommy Moments and happy to follow along.
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