I'm Proud Of You

Do you tell your kids you are proud of them?

I find myself telling Little A that she is amazing a lot lately. She actually tells herself it too. I have noticed that most of the time I tell her she is amazing because of something she has done.  

She jumps and both feet leave the floor. "You're amazing!"

She sings a song all by herself start to finish. "You're amazing!"

She helps clean up or is nice to her brother. "You're amazing!"

Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John.  But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”

 Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented.

 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him.  And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

Matthew 3:13-17

God gives us a great example of a loving parent when he tells Jesus that he is "well pleased" with him.  God says this to Jesus at a time when he has not yet started his great works.  He hadn't done anything yet.  

He would go one from being baptized to heal the sick, feed the hungry, cast out demons, and give his life for the sinners of the world.  Dont you think that God would be proud of him after all of those things?  I am sure he was, but he shows us that he was proud before anything was done. He was proud of his son, straight up, no works, just him. 

I feel like most of the time I am not showing that I am proud of Little A for just being herself.  Just being the amazing daughter that she is, that God created her to be.  

It is really important to tell our kids that we are proud of them just for being themselves and the wonderful personality traits that God has given them. For the people he made them to be.  

It is much easier to just give praise to our children when they do something great. But as God showed us, its important for them to hear that we are proud of them when they don't do anything. 

If we never take God's example of showing our children we are proud of them for nothing, our kids will seek out our approval of only great things, and when they screw up they will think that our love and praise won't be there anymore.  

I never want Little A to think that my love and praise will go away if she isn't amazing. Because she is amazing just how she was made to be. 

God Bless you today and may he shine love onto your children through you. 

Funny Mr T after winning his Soccer Tourney.  Sometimes Hubbies need to be praised for the little things they do. 

Thank you to Brian Henney for pointing this out to me and showing us how much our kids need to hear they are special.