Forgive me for a minute while I brag about my son here.

I just have to say he is such a great baseball player.

Totally natural talent that boy has - really, absolutely no fear! ;)

He must take after his ol' Dad:

(black eye from his soccer game last week)

I read this blog and got to thinking... AMEN!

Not the I hate Mothers Day part... I actually LOVE Mothers Day.

Give me a day to put everything off onto my husband any day! ;)

Just the part about Motherhood being full of passion and vulnerability. "It's letting another human being carry a piece of your heart around" and "Don't buy me a corsage. Get me a sword and shield to fight a safe path to lead my kids through this life."

I spoke in Church on Sunday. Mother's Day Sunday none the less.

It was the toughest talk I've ever put together.

Knowing the different feelings Women have regarding this day made it difficult to find the right words to say. I ended up speaking more on personal revelation - and relating it to women. How with inspiration we can strengthen our own faith, our families, and serve others.

All in all it went well. BUT I was left thinking "I should have said this instead, or should I have not said that?" I worried about it for awhile and then realized this isn't worth exhausting any energy over. I was the speaker and I spoke from my heart. Who cares what people think. End of story.

If there is one thing that I can give my children it would be confidence.

No question about it. Perfect sword and shield to fight their way through life with.

I found this article years ago in a magazine and have hung onto it.

Maybe it's time to share:

Ten rules to help children develop healthy, positive self-images:

1. Teach your child to be competent in something he or she really enjoys. Children need objective proof they're capable people. Introduce them to experiences they can succeed in.

2. Be your child's special friend. Take time to have fun together. Play games, share athletic activities, go to the movies, hike through the woods, go shopping with your child.

3. Provide many sources of praise. Your praise means more than anyone else's, but if it comes only from you, your children will conclude you're the only person who thinks they're worth anything. When they get a job as a teenager, it might be better if they work for someone else. Youths need to gain confidence in interacting with others successfully.

4. Help battle their personal dragons. If your child has an irrational fear of something, don't help him avoid facing it. At the same time, son't keep throwing him back in to frightening situations where he's unprepared to succeed. If your son's afraid of presenting oral reports to his class, role-play with him. Let him give his report to you, over and over again.

5. Provide opportunities to make decisions. Don't put children in situations they aren't yet prepared to handle alone. As they gradually mature, insist they do certain things on their own. Each successfully completed task or challenge will build self-respect.

6. Don't be overly critical of honest mistakes. The child who spills a glass of water isn't a clumsy oaf, but if you call her that, she they may become one. When children spill something, hand them a towel. They know they made a mistake, so don't abuse them for it. The best teacher is the natural consequence - enough messes cleaned up, and they'll be careful to avoid making them.

7. Don't make impossible demands. Don't make life a bed of roses - but don't make it a bed of nails, either. Give your children experiences to challenge them and help them grow. Make sure they don't have too many that lead to failure. Otherwise, they may begin to believe they can't do anything right. Better to achieve a little less, and get them used to success.

8. Have regular times alone. Give children time alone with you they can count on. Parents can become so involved with older kids younger children may feel like they're unimportant. Also, babies or younger children can take so much of mother's time that older children may feel they just don't matter anymore. Set aside special time alone for each child.

9. Create a climate of encouragement. It isn't enough for your children to receive praise. They should also learn praise from each other. Make sure the whole family knows about each others' achievements. Each week in our Monday family night, one child has a turn in the spotlight. We talk about something good the child did that week, or something about his personality that's important to us.

10. Give them many reasons to think of themselves as good people. Parents often encourage their kids to be good in sports or develop their talents, but forget to teach them skills in moral behavior. There is pleasure in doing good for other people, and children should learn to experience that pleasure so they'll want to feel it again and again.

The best way to raise children to become responsible, competent, confident adults with a good self-image is to repeatedly allow and encourage them to be responsible, competent, and good while they're young. Reinforce and compliment them when they exhibit these behaviors.

-LDS LIVING November/December 2002

Told you I've hung onto to it. 2002. I wasn't even married yet.