I remember getting all dressed up as a teenager and ready for a night on the town. I would walk out into the family room and my dad would start singing “Here she is… Miss America!” I would roll my eyes, but secretly I loved it. He told me often that I was beautiful, and I believed him.
We had many talks about what I wanted to be when I grew up, and he always encouraged me to play big. He told me that I could do whatever I wanted to in life, and I believed him.
Your teenager needs you to believe in him.
If you think he is messing it all up, he might believe you.
If you think she is anxious or fragile or incapable of succeeding in the world, you may be confirming what she already fears about herself.
But if you believe with all your heart that he is amazing and capable and loveable even with he makes mistakes, it will be easier for him to believe those things.
If you have complete faith that she will figure things out, it will help her to have faith in herself.
Believing in our kids is one of the most beautiful gifts we can give them.
