I’ve worked with thousands of families during my years in the elementary classroom, and there will always be a few standouts. One of my most memorable families had a 9 year old autistic son. Oftentimes, when I met with families they would focus on the negatives that came with any diagnosis or label.
But this family was so different.
They had consciously decided to reframe his diagnosis as a gift. They explained all the reasons why being autistic made him incredibly unique. In turn they raised a confident and loving boy who knew how truly special he was.
But in reality, not every family handled a diagnosis or a label this way. There were many that shamed their children for who they were. Those children didn’t have the freedom to just be. And for those children, school was their only safe place.
Well run classrooms are a place where children can be open and honest about who they are. Good classrooms celebrate differences because they know that is what makes us great.
In fact I spent 20 years teaching about why a country that was a melting pot was so amazing. I taught about how lucky we were to have the freedoms our forefathers wanted for us.
So as a teacher and parent, it hurts my heart to know that right now in our country we have taken this right away from some of our educators.
If you’ve been following the news you know that Florida passed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill to prohibit teachers from teaching about gender, sexuality, and critical race theory in the younger grades.
Which means those teachers don’t have the freedom to use their words in the way they see fit. They can’t use their professional judgment to decide how and when to discuss important issues. It means they can’t help children develop their self-esteem and confidence during the time they need it the most.
Which is so sad because teachers are amazing mirrors for children. They can help them see who they are in their most crucial developing years.
We know that there is power in words and that a simple strong statement will make all the difference for these youth that are struggling.
Every single time we use our words, out loud or written, it matters.
Here are our some of our favorite affirmations for confidence that parents and teachers can use right now to affirm the children in their lives:
- You don’t need to be perfect to be loved
- You are enough
- You can choose to be confident today
- You are beautiful inside & out
- Your voice matters
- Trust in your decisions
- You are a warrior
- You can be anything you want to be
- You are making the right choices
- There is no one else quite like you
Copying one of these onto a scrap of paper takes minimal effort but will mean the world to a child who needs to hear it. Teachers can hand them out as children arrive at school or as they are leaving for the day. They can give them out to kids to hand to other kids that might need them. But the point is that the benefits of affirmations for confidence far outweighs the moment’s effort it takes to share them – written or out loud.
We encourage parents and teachers to use affirmations for confidence for all youth. But right we think our nations LGBTQ+ youth could really use them.
If you would like a set of 64 affirmations for confidence, you can get them here.
