I was able to read the No Greater Joy magazine this month and I'm so glad I did. Here are just a few quotes that I want to jot down and remember:
- "A child accepts the definition of self that is imposed upon him by his caretakers. He has no other way of knowing who he is. Children see their reflection in the eyes of others. There is nothing more influential on a child's self-image than the eyes of his keepers... It doesn't happen all at once. As their self-awareness slowly develops they attach value to themselves with every encounter- every touch, every word, every exchange... Their first experiences of self-identity are the most powerful- before age four or five. After about age five everything either enforces that early image or competes with it. The earliest image usually dominates the rest of their lives. Words are powerful, and eventually become the more dominate influence. Words enforced with cold eyes, or warm eyes, become the all-powerful enforcer of a child's self definition."
- "Homeschooling is not an automatic fix. Avoiding the negatives of the corporate classroom (be they public, private or Christian schools) is only half of the battle. Home school is no better than the eyes that guide it, no better than the voice that speaks throughout the day."
- "Make the best use of this opportunity. It will never come around again. You are molding clay for eternity."
- "Positive affirmation is effective when it is part of positive participation. Sincere effort is praiseworthy, but only as part of performing at a higher level. Praise is gratifying when it acknowledges success already achieved, but achievement is the foundation of good self-image, not praise. If you take children's hands and lead them to achieve their own personal goals, you build a lifetime of confidence. On the other hand, if you set the goals, and the child does not adopt them as his or her own, then their failure will elicit criticism from you, and diminish the child's self worth. A child should be allowed latitude to experiment with different personal goals and drop the ones that seem too far out of reach, while pursing more passionately the ones they enjoy. Encourage the positive choices they make, and don't denigrate or minimize their constructive interests in hopes they will adopt your more academic or higher cultural disciplines."
I would also like to mention that I haven't read the articles for some time as they can come off as negative or leave me feeling like a failure, so please don't hear that.
Feel empowered and encouraged that as parents we have a great calling and by the grace of God we will have an impact and leave a legacy of faith!
