What’s Your Affirmation?
The other day while taking a walk with my family, I spotted a mother having a conversation with her son. With little time to spare, the boy was strapping on his helmet in an effort to ride bikes with his friends who were waiting patiently at the end of the drive way. As he ran off she said, “Eddie stop!”. Immediately he froze and looked at his mom right in the eye. She went on, “Eddie, do the right thing.” He kissed her and went on his way. Because my intrigue got the best of me, I introduced myself to her after her son left. “Can I ask you a question? Do you always say that to him? Do you always tell him to do the right thing?”, I asked. She smiled and said, “Always. In fact, I’m convinced that because his attention span is so limited at this age it’s the only thing he’ll remember.” I was impressed. Her desire to find simplicity in a quick affirmation to her son was not done because she knows he will “do the right thing” every time at 6 years old, but more so in the hopes that he will do the right thing when he is faced with tougher challenges at 16 or 26. This mom knew that the road to character for her son begins at an early age. What’s your affirmation to your children and students? If you were allowed to say just 5 or 6 words a day to your kids, what would they be?
