Words have power especially on children which will sponge up all the information around them. If a child hears they are worthless it is likely they will grow up and accomplish nothing. When a child hears they can conquer the world then it is likely they will do just that.

To make sure you are filling the sponge in your home with strong building blocks for the future use these ideas:

1. Tell others about the child’s accomplishments. Stay focused on the good things that he does. Let the child hear your praises.

2. Compliment the child on a job well done. It doesn’t have to have been the best over everyone else as long as it is HER best. She needs and wants to hear that you are proud of her accomplishments – no matter how minor those accomplishments may appear.

3. Avoid words that condemn a child’s personality traits even if you are just playing around. Your child will remember what you said about him and may even start to repeat it about himself. If you want to play around then get out a board game.

4. Keep comparisons to the very minimum (or take them out of the equation completely). The only person that the child is competing against is himself. Remind him that he is getting better than last time.

5. Help her see her own potential. Tell her the things that you see she is good at or personal traits where she is strong (“You are so good at organizing your toys” or “You are very good at helping me watch your brother”). Finding encouragement in one place will help her stretch out in others.

Raising up a child to be successful requires building blocks of positive attitude and motivation. Speak words of encouragement to them and about them and your children will reach for the stars.

There is a huge fuss over whether or not Brittney Spears is a fit parent.  Too bad the scrutiny that she is receiving doesn’t happen with the majority of children.  I’m not taking her side.  I’m just saying that there are far worse situations that children face every day.  A bad parent isn’t the worse thing that a child can face.  If the parent is self-focused, self-absorbed, and selfish in all her ways, it doesn’t mean she doesn’t have the right to raise her kids.  If that was all it took then there would be hundreds of kids taken out of homes every day.

Bad parents don’t mean dangerous parents. 

There is a foster child that the government is threatening to send to his grandmother in Mexico because he needs to be “brought up in his own culture” (his dad is from Mexico).  The foster family wanted to adopt the boy (whom they have had for almost his entire life).  What’s even more disturbing is that the father (imprisoned for child molestation) will be living with the grandmother as well.

All children deserve a safe home.  Odds are pretty good that with as many people as surround the “stars” their kids will get protection.  Taking custody away from one bad parent and giving it to the other bad parent is only trauma for the children.  Besides, there is not law against being a “bad” parent; it’s the dangerous ones that we need to be concerned about.