Just yesterday, as I was thinking about being overly excited about things that my kids do, I realized that if I was ever asked what I want my kids to remember about me, I would say that I want them to remember that I thought they were great.
I grew up with a mother who made me think I was the greatest person on earth. Anything I did that was remotely wonderful, she would make a big deal out of it. She still does this. I could go to her right now, at 37, and tell her I made a straight line and if I was excited about it, she would be too. She would say "Great job doll baby" and then ask me questions about how I did it. She is my greatest cheerleader.
I learned this from her and I am the same with my children. When my daughter called me in to tell me about her weight loss, she had this look on her face like "I know mommy is going to love this." And I did, I always do.
My son likes to play this Pokemon game on his Nintendo DS and it seems he is really good at it, I guess. But he gets excited when he catches a new Pokemon or evolves one or does some other mess with it. He runs out and tells me because he is proud of himself. I say "YAAAAAY, son" and then ask him some questions and he tells me how he did it. He then goes on about his business until he does something else.
The point is, after all that long drawn out commentary is, that no matter how small it may seem, if my children are excited, proud or happy about what they have accomplished, I am going to go out my way to be the same.
I want them to know that if the world is being mean to them, they can always think about when I gave them a big hug for walking in a straight line going backwards, kicking their leg above their head, lining up marbles into a triangle or any other, seemingly simple, thing they have done.
I think when I respond and encourage my children, it is helping them grow into people that continue to try new things and aspire to do more in life. Because they can always say "You may not like it, but my mother will." And you know what...I WILL like it!
