I often refer to motherhood as a school in which I am a perpetual student at. It seems I have as much to learn from my children as I have to teach them. Motherhood often asks that I give more than I feel capable of, but love given is never gone to waste. My children have shown me I have a greater capacity to love than I ever knew was possible, and I have never been so full of life…
I tend to have strong willed children (I am paying for year 3 and 4 of my own childhood….), and daily I have to be consistent with showing them what they should and shouldn’t do, and battle the will not, won’ts, cant’s, and don’ts. There are many small battles to be fought to help along their character, but I also seek to encourage their spirit. I hope to encourage my son Gabriel’s sensitivity to be used as a guiding point for compassion. I hope to encourage my daughter Veronica’s fiery spunk to be directed towards being a positive change in the world around her. I hope to encourage my son Max’s determination to be used as a foundation of standing up for what he believes in. (We anxiously await to see what Rocco will be like.) And since the battles best fought are ones that contribute to their greater good, there are a few I let them win such as what to wear when they get dressed…
(teaching Max to jump high)
It actually has been a great opportunity to motivate that confidence in their own independence. It gives them a little shoe shine to their personality so to speak. Even though I’d rather Veronica wear blue than pink, and Gabriel to wear something other than his stained favorite t-shirt, I give this one over to them and save the back and forth for what matters more. (Of course I step in and intervene for the right occasions.) I look forward to seeing what my daughter comes up with these days. Her latest attempt was her brother’s bow tie paired with her ballet skirt. Her grin was as wide and proud as they come. Max on the other hand would rather go pants-less most of the time…
(no caption necessary..)
The kids are wearing the new GAPKidsxED line that is also all about uplifting children’s own uniqueness and encouraging them to be the best of who they are. You can watch this awesome video highlighting the new line. (Some of the girls remind me of my wildflower Veronica:)) They are all super comfortable threads with the option to color and personalize with the washable markers. Gabriel chose to write the word STRONG on his sweatshirt. At 6 years old, this is something a little boy sees as a super cool trait to have. I hope as the oldest, he will lead by example that being strong actually means never swaying from your values. Veronica is my little artist, and she has colored, washed, and re-colored this tee in order to come up with new patterns and colors. For obvious reasons, it is now her favorite thing to wear.
How do you encourage your little ones character and personalities in the small ways? I’d love to hear!
Outfit details:
Gabriel: Zip front hoodie
Veronica: Tee and Sweats
Max: Bubble Talk Tee
*This post is sponsored by GAP Kids, all words and opinions are my own.
