What do you do to make your child feel special?

Simple ways to make your child feel special

This is a great little article I just read. It made me sit back and take stock. I've been ornery lately and rushed, and not really pleasant to be around.  So, even before reading this article, I took the day to get my house in order. And when I say house - I mean my actual, literal house. And it felt good. 


I opened the windows, let in some fresh air, worked up a sweat - and really cleaned the sucker good. And funnily enough - I feel quite a bit better. Funny how those things work.


So that takes me to this article - I found it and decided to click it - as there are days that I am sure I am FAR from the best mother in the world. (Not that most of moms don't already feel this way).


Anyway - got me to thinking. It seems like every morning we have a fight of wills and general ugliness due to hurrying and lack of sleep. I liked some of the ideas in this article.

Cara Mirabella, who runs TheHouseholdHelper, spends a little quality time each morning with her 2-year-old by having coffee together. (His "coffee" is milk.) "We watch Sesame Street, the two of us cuddling on the couch, enjoying our coffee," she says.

"First thing in the morning can be a wonderfully effective time to connect with children, especially when they're going to school and won't get to see you all day," she says. 

It seems like a no-brainer - and yet I tend to be grouchy and grumbly and always rushing Evie to get dressed and most of the time yelling my head off like a banshee. So I really like this - as I don't feel like ME until I have had my first coffee in the morning.

Now - after school we tend to do a 'little' better - mainly because we are more awake. Sometimes I like to surprise Evie and take her to a movie on a night daddy is working late - or we will let her watch a special movie on tv. And when the weather is nice - we will do picnics in the park or even a picnic in the house or have breakfast for dinner. 


But here were some other really great ideas too. 

Life coach Leverrier says, for instance, let your child choose what's for dinner now and then. "Take him to the grocery store to pick the food and let him help prepare the meal."

I tend to NOT let Evie help - as I am an admitted control-freak - but I really do like this idea. I think I might try it tonight. My guess is we will be having mac and cheese and chicken nuggets for din din.

Now this next one - Whoo Boy - it is a big one for me. I am a STICKLER for rules. Like psychotic. Neurotic is more like it. So LETTING Evie break the rules - holy hell - NOT a strong point for me. Hell - it took a trained professional lecturing me to let Evie get dirty as a baby. SO - this is one I am going to try to employ (albeit sparingly) to make her feel a little more special.

Break the rules

And this last one (there is a lot more at the source) - is a great one.

"If you want to raise your children's self-esteem, you don't want them to be overly concerned about your pride," explains parenting expert Marilyn Suttle in Michigan. "Try focusing on their own pride by saying something like, 'You must feel so proud of yourself!' "

Linda Miles in Florida, author of All Aboard the Brain Train, Teaching Your Child to Live a Purpose-Filled Path, echoes this advice. "Repeat positive thoughts and ideas like 'You can do it and I will help' or 'It's okay to take your time.' " 

Because who doesn't want a kid to feel like this?

So what do YOU do to make your kid feel special?


Here's my list:
1. Tell her I love her MULTIPLE times a day and give her lots of hugs and kisses
2. Take her on impromptu adventures
3. Make up songs about her for her
4. Rock her to sleep each night even though she is getting soo big that it is hard
5. Give her boundaries and teach her manners (I know - a controlling thing - but VERY important).