I still remember it like yesterday, sitting at home, at least 6 months pregnant with my son, watching the Trayvon Martin case and thinking to myself, “What type of world am I bringing my son into?” I prayed, and cried, and pretty sure I prayed and cried some more. I just knew that the world was out to get him and he wasn’t even born yet. I worried that I wouldn’t have what it took to raise a little black boy in America, and I wondered what I could do to try and build him up before someone ripped the innocence from him.
When that 6lb baby boy was placed into my arms, I made a promise to him that I would do everything in my power to give him the best life that I could. In saying that, I didn’t mean in a material sense, but I wanted to make sure that I filled him with so much positivity that no one could ever dim his light. The first thing I told my son was that “I loved him and that he was the greatest gift the Earth had received”. I didn’t know it then, but I had set the foundation for giving my son positive affirmations for his life. I mean, really, I was just doing what I thought moms did; say nice things to their kids because in our eyes, there is no one greater than the little humans we make. It wasn’t until I expressed to a friend what I would tell my son did I realize I was doing something special for him each night.
Each night before bed or while we cuddle right after bath time, I tell my son:
“Garon, always remember that you are beautiful, intelligent, kind and that you a powerful force of GOD. Know that you are the descendants of Kings, that your skin is rich and filled with the depth of the soil that you walk on. Garon you are never alone, you will always have the words of your loved ones and of God to carry you through the hard times. Garon you are funny, confident and you command the land and sea. You are a King amongst Kings, never forget your power. You are destined to do great things and know that your gifts will place you among great men. You are strong Garon , You are a Champion!”
Sometimes he laughs as I say it, sometimes he just sits there, but every time, I know that he hears me. As a mother, it is my responsibility to pour into my son before someone else pulls out. I must make sure that as life throws negative things and tells him everything that he is NOT, that he already knows everything that he IS! I can’t say what these affirmations have done for my son as he is only 3, but I know that he doesn’t walk in fear. He holds his head up in confidence, and he says what he needs to say without fear of rejection or fear of being put down. He knows who he is at such a young age, and I would like to think that me speaking these affirmations to him daily have a lot to do with that.
Composing an affirmation isn’t hard; most of the time we unknowingly do it whether it be positive or negative. It just takes a few simple steps.
- Think of the person that you want your child to be, and say it out loud to your child.
- Speak it as if you are revealing their future to them.
- Paint them a picture with your words so that they can see themselves being the person they are destined to be.
- Reinforce it with actions and repetition.
See? Simple enough!
In all honesty, this has been a powerful experience for me, because as I speak “life” into him, I am speaking “life” into myself. I truly believe that what you put into the atmosphere comes full circle, so by me speaking these positive words into the world, positive things will continue to surround him and me. It’s so easy for us as parents to tell our kids that they are “bad, hard-headed, don’t listen, just like this or that person, getting on my nerves, etc.”, so we must rebuild them with the positive things. In a world where life will try to beat them down, let’s build them up from the inside out! Think Positive, BE Positive!
