Focus on Affirmations About Learning, Growth, and Doing Your Best, Not Perfection
Ever feel like you’re running a never-ending obstacle course where the prize is… another obstacle? Welcome to the land of ‘Did I Do It Right?’—where your kid’s tower of blocks is leaning, your patience is wobbling, and perfection is clearly on vacation. If you’re tired of chasing the gold star and ready to high-five effort (even if it’s messy), this one’s for you. Spoiler: There are no parenting medals, just lots of giggles and maybe a little glue.
Focusing on growth and effort helps kids build grit, resilience, and a brain that’s not allergic to challenges. Affirmations like ‘I love how hard you tried’ actually light up the reward centers in their brains, making them more likely to try new things (even if they flop). For parents, it’s a sanity-saver—less pressure to produce perfect kids and more joy in watching them become curious, persistent humans.
How to do it
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Swap out the word ‘perfect’ for ‘progress’ in your vocabulary.
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Notice and acknowledge effort, not just success. Catch your child (and yourself!) trying, even if things don’t go as planned.
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When your child struggles, use encouraging phrases such as:
- “Wow, you really stuck with that!”
- “I can see you’re learning a lot.”
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Resist the urge to fix everything right away. Sometimes, the best thing you can do is laugh together at the mess.
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Celebrate the weird, wobbly, and wonderful results—these moments are just as important as the polished ones.
Key Tips:
- Focus on effort and persistence rather than perfection.
- Use positive language to reinforce learning and growth.
- Embrace mistakes as opportunities for connection and learning.
- Make space for fun and creativity, even when things get messy.
