Proud Parent...You 2.0

I saw a friend on Facebook post about normalizing telling your kids that you're proud of them and saying that you love them. I thought to myself, wait people don't already do that? It was baffling to me. It made me realize how sad the state of parenthood is, if you can't even tell your kids that you're proud of them.

It's important to let someone know when you're proud of them, especially your children. Children are constantly growing and developing every day. Telling them you're proud of them or that they're doing a good job let's them know they are progressing in the right direction.

I'm not sure where the hangup is for some parents - whether it's something internal they struggle with, or something inherited since their parents didn't support them in the ways they needed. If you need help with overcoming your own struggles, you should look into finding support in a professional therapist or support group. If paid help is out of reach, surround yourself with supportive peers or find a role model you admire for healthy parent-child relationships and emulate behaviors that built trust and resilience. Another resource is parenting books. Two of my favorites are "How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk" by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish and "The Whole-Brain Child" by Daniel Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson. You should want to encourage your children's good habits, whether that's learning a new skill, defeating an opponent in a video game, trying a new after school activity, or joining a sport.

Your encouragement lets them know that you see them and acknowledge the effort they are putting in. Many things considered "hobbies" nowadays turn into lucrative businesses, as seen with YouTube and Etsy. To sum it up, if you're not already, let your children know you're proud of them. It's perfectly acceptable, and something you should want, for your children to turn out better than you.