The Value of Being An Encouraging Parent

by Dawn Michelle Michals via focusonthefamily.ca

The need to be encouraged

We all, especially children, need an encourager by our side. As the only child of a single mother, I yearned for encouragement, and my mom provided it. “You can do anything you set your mind to,” she said. And when I found my passion of the week, my mom encouraged me every step of the way. From ballerina to lion tamer, from veterinarian to neonatologist, I heard my mom speak words of confidence over me.

Standing with me as she washed the dishes, she encouraged me to go to college. While folding clothes on our creaky orange couch, she provided support for my fledgling singing career. She was always busy yet had time to speak to me, sustain me and be my Barnabas.

Keep in mind that my mother wasn’t my only encourager. The girl down the street encouraged me to smoke a cigarette for the first time. My boyfriend had his own ideas when I was 16. There were countless others I do not care to recall. Who is encouraging your children?