The Fear of perfection

As a parent have you ever thought you had a perfect child? A child who is as sweet as sugar, kind and caring to all, a treasure collector, giving to everyone, full of smiles and laughter that keeps you smiling all the time? To me, those traits are as perfect as perfect gets. I always told my sweet little girl how wonderfully perfect I thought she was. She felt it, she loved being "the perfect child". That is a lot of pressure for a little girl. When we say something it doesn't always come across with the same meaning to the receiver as it has to the person making the statement. As my little girl grew into a teenager, always trying to maintain that "perfect status" became a challenge. She felt that if she didn't keep her popular friends that I would think less of her. Be careful what you say. In no way was I trying to make her feel she needed to 'be' perfect, I always just meant that her soul, her spirit 'is' perfect, perfectly beautiful. 

I guess what I am trying to say is to think carefully about what you say to your children, even the most sincere compliment can be taken differently by the person you are talking to. We all need to be cautious of our words, think before we speak. 

Affirmation for today:

I am proud of my children just the way they are.