Affirmation – I am patient with children.
One of the many beauties of life is experiencing the true joy of children. Children are surrounded with a natural light and have a special way about them.
They endeavor to laugh, play and explore their surroundings as well as the adults nearby. When I am with them, I am patient as I focus my attention on them.
I embrace their boundless life and energy, allow them their activities and chatter, and avoid seeing them as interruptions or annoyances.
Being patient with children means I accept them. I allow them to be the cheerful, active little beings they are. I see children as yet untouched by the complexities of life – free, in a sense, to just be themselves.
My patience with children makes my life easier. I realize I have no real reason to be irritated or frustrated when I am in the presence of children. By understanding them, I am uplifted when I am around them.
Today, I celebrate children as I seek to gain more knowledge about them. Learning about the way they think and explore the world around them at different ages is fascinating and increases my patience and ability to understand them.
Self-Reflection Questions
1. Am I patient with children? If not, what do I feel when I am with them?
2. What can I do to increase my patience when I am around children?
3. Where can I find more information that will help me better understand them?
Affirmation – I listen well to my teenage children.
Raising teenagers is the ride of my life. As I observe them go from chattering a hundred miles an hour to being sullen and quiet, I marvel at how they can grow and change in the blink of an eye.
Because I understand the incredible pressures that teenagers have these days, I make a concerted effort to listen well when my teenagers talk. I have a real interest in the people they are becoming.
I learn about my teenagers’ interests, concerns and friends whenever I pay close attention to what they say. I like the idea of knowing what is going on in my teenagers’ lives.
Sometimes when my teens are communicating, I want to chastise them or give them a lecture regarding their choice of friends or immature behavior.
However, I understand that if I take steps to reprimand my teens for information they provide or make their life unpleasant after they communicate, they may cease to communicate with me.
I feel that it is far more important that I be given the opportunity to listen. Limiting what I say means they have more time to talk and willingness to share.
Today, I vow to pay close attention to my teenage children. I plan to allow them more time to talk while I spend more time listening.
Self-Reflection Questions
1. How well do I listen to my teenagers?
2. Do I use the information they give me as a reason to chastise or punish them?
3. Do my teenagers seek me out to talk? If not, what can I do to encourage them to do so?