Last week, I took my three girls to the playground. It wasn't one we had been to before, and the slides and climbing equipment was higher than our usual stomping grounds.
With all three kids, the experience can probably best be described as absolute. total. chaos. And, during a particularly vigorous attempt to scale a rock climbing ramp, my middle daughter Marigold fell hard off some climbing equipment. She immediately sat up, and started to cry. I was over on the other side of a slide, trying to handle an 11 month old that still wants to eat everything, and a nervous 4 year old that would probably prefer we were attached with handcuffs so I could never get more than a foot away from her.
In that moment, I definitely felt the 3 under 4 chaos, and regretted ever coming to the park, and was maaaaayyybe considering just never leaving the house with all 3 kids again.
And then I remembered something - affirmations.
So as I tried to scoop up the baby and safely extricate myself from the 4 year old, I yelled across the playground:
"You are a brave, bold, strong, girl!"
And the most amazing thing in the history of amazing things happened (okay, well it felt like it).
Marigold stood up. She took a deep breath. And she said: "I am a brave, bold, strong, Marigoldie."
And she ran off and kept playing.
Amazing, right!?!? It saved our park trip, and we managed to stay until the heat sent us back inside to the air-conditioning.
Since they were small enough to crawl, we've done affirmations with my girls. At bedtime, we read a story about how they are bold, and strong, and brave (hence where that line came from!)
And so, this moment got me thinking. Wouldn't it be great if all kids could have easy access to affirmations and phrases to help them get through hard moments?
So obviously, I got on making a set one night when all three girls decided bedtime is for quitters, and I was up waiting for the next inevitable call out for water, or a toilet, or a cuddle, or... you get my drift.
