Have fun, play, relax, enjoy, be yourself. Let it all hang out! Be calm, be crazy, shout and laugh from your belly. Smile easily. Experiment with new things that make your world a better place.
Our children are able to do this quite naturally.
Up to a point-that is.
Our children (like us) are then thrown curveballs, as life does. Our first months at new school, new classes, new friends and teachers, homework expectations and stresses of parents hard at work and balancing all of their roles.
How our children react to these normal (and not so normal) stressors and opportunities is directly related to how confident and secure they feel.
How do we as parents pack in all the positive growth experiences in one place where they are available for your children? Twenty four, seven –even during times when we can’t be there for them!
Wouldn’t it be great if our children (indeed our partner, best friend, ourselves?) could process and package all of the positive events that happen to them and actively used this to build our happy, well adjusted lives. To tap into during the dark periods, the times we feel less powerful and in control.
We have a couple of experiments happening in our house. Both Jade (13) and Tayla (6) have their own "powerpack." Tayla started hers about a few years ago and is filled with many positive milestones and confidence boosters.
We have fun doing this.
The Tools
Tayla’s powerpack features some of her moments that make her feel proud, special, strong and happy including little swimming lesson medals, a drawing of her family going down the big water slide at the Goldcoast, her first successful attempts at writing her name, picture of a Kiwi bird she donated money to from her pocket money, a drawing of her doing a solo in front of 200 parents at kindi – the national anthem in Maori !, Even going back to her learning to change herself, going on a plane, eating 5 fruit & veg a day. And many more. And her powerpack is growing.
You get the picture. Her powerpack is a colouful, portable metaphor for her to build her self esteem and prime her so that she can access her personal power at any time of the day or night. So even while she has been on the long holiday, as all children in New Zealand have, she has been back at school. Tayla has been working on her self-esteem and confidence in many new areas of her life.
Tayla is not the only one who is using this technique. There are many children and adults who have learnt to do this naturally and still do this, metaphorically speaking, as a habit. I would encourage you, if you have forgotten the art, or need a refresher course of building your own confidence in any situation to go BACK TO SCHOOL.
Make some time, re-educate yourself. Have some fun with your children. Get some tips along the way on
www.livemygoals.com
Enjoy going back to school and creating the life that you want for you and your family
1 x small box
30 (or as needed) small business card size blank cards
A huge imagination
Attention to the little things that boost your child’s confidence
Set aside a bit of time every month and construct a new card with your child
Or simply build your powerpack online. Its quick and easy and fun!