20 Empowering Things To Say To Your Children

As parents, we all want to build our children up; to help them see in themselves all the good, light, and magic that WE see in them. As photographers, we absolutely love talking to parents about their kids; we love hearing the pride in your voices, seeing the smiles on your faces as you tell us about your children’s personalities, quirks, talents.

Of course, we all want our kids to know how much we love them – and they do. We also want them to love themselves. We want them to feel empowered, to know how amazing they are. Here are some things we can say to help them build themselves up:

 

1. I love you

2. You are so clever

3. You make us so proud – are you proud of yourself?

4. It’s OK to ask for help

5. Your dreams are important

6. You can do anything you set your mind to

7. You can’t always change the situation but you can control how you respond to it

8. I love how [kind, funny, talented, etc] you are

9. It’s OK to feel scared or unsure

10. Accidents happen, but we can try to find a way to fix it

11. You are worth it

12. You can choose for yourself

13. Never stop trying

14. If you believe in something, it’s important

15. You don’t have to be like your friends

16. I trust you

17. Your opinion matters

18. You can say yes (or no!)

19. Your words have meaning

20. I believe in you


Giving your children a sense of self-confidence and empowerment doesn’t mean losing your authority or giving in to them and their wants; it’s about making them feel heard, feel like their voice, thoughts and emotions matter, and helping them start to recognise their own sense of self. It’s about validating them, helping them know their worth, and reminding them that they’re enough – just the way they are.