February 12 - Love The Kid You Have

You are a very special person. There is only one like you in the whole world.

—Mister Rogers

The grade school teacher, bestselling author, and mom of two Jessica Lahey has talked to hundreds of thousands of kids about the things they want their parents to hear. “By far, the number one comment I get,” she says, is some version of “ ‘I am not my brother,’ ‘I am not my sister,’ ‘I am not my parents when they were my age,’ ‘I don’t know who my parents think they are raising, but it’s not me,’ ‘My parents think they know who I am, but it’s all their expectations of me and they have no idea who I actually am.’ ”

Isn’t that heartbreaking? If there were a list of things you never wanted your kids to think or feel, those responses—which Jessica says get emailed to her almost every day—are probably right at the top of the list. No kid should feel like their dad wants them to be someone else, to be something different. No kid should feel that they are a disappointment. They should know that they are special for who they are, that they make the world—and your life— better just by being in it.

Your kids need to be seen. They need to be heard. They need to be loved. They need to be known. For who they are, for what they choose to be. Not for who or what you want them to become.

That’s all they really want from us. And they deserve to have it. So you better give it to them. Starting today and for the rest of their lives.

February - Love Unconditionally (The Only Thing They Really Want)