Parenting and Self-Worth

This morning while getting ready I was watching BYU TV on my computer and I really loved this talk by James D. MacArthur "Parenting and Self-Worth: Helping Children Grow and Develop".  I would highly recommend listening to it when you have a spare hour.  I couldn't figure out how to link directly to it, but if you go to www.byu.tv and go to Sunday September 13th at 5:00 am you can listen to him.  He gave the talk at Education Week, August 15th, 2005.

Bro. MacArthur talks about intentional parenting and how we need to intentionally build confidence in our children.  He describes how he builds self-worth in his children by complementing them or building up their confidence in either a "BE" way or a "DO" way.   He tells of how we need to have confidence in who we are inherently; that existing is worth.  We also need to have confidence in what we do.  He says it MUCH better though.

As I was listening to it, I couldn't help but think of my parents and grandparents and how they were amazing at this!  

What I Do:

My Grandma and Grandpa Naylor are GREAT at this!  Everything that I do, my grandparents make me think that I am the best in the world at doing that task.  Take computers for example... I was out in Utah in July and my Grandma called because they could not get their Word Document to print.  I tried to fix it over the phone, but we could not figure it out.  I hopped in my car and went over to their house and figured out that it was their printer that needed to be re-installed.  Well you would have thought that I had just created a cure for cancer.  I always feel so great after helping them with something, but they don't only do this for me.  All of their Grandchildren really claim that they are THE favorite grandchild (Sorry, but it really is me)!

Who I Am:

I was a Senior in high school and I would say that I had done a lot to in the Do box - I was on student council, volley ball team, etc.  Well, it came time for prom and I did not get asked.  I was pretty much okay with it since I didn't have a boyfriend or anything, but the week of prom it really got to me.  I think that I was at work or something the day or prom and I came home to my bedroom to find a bouquet of flowers in my bedroom with a note from my dad saying that I was amazing and that he loved me and I didn't need to be asked out to prom to know that.  Still to this day this makes me cry and I will remember that far longer than if I would have gone to prom with some guy.  Thanks dad for letting me know that I am of worth even when others don't think so.