Saturday, February 16, 2008

Affirmations for the Ages - Developmental Psychology

When I first heard these affirmations (from HELP! for Parents), they really resonated with me. Keeping them top of mind and repeating them to the boys as appropriate, has a way of magically diffusing a situation and getting to the emotional heart of a struggle. The birth to 6 months affirmations are appropriate for any age.

Being: Birth to 6 months

  • I'm glad you're alive
  • You belong here
  • What you need is most important to me
  • I'm glad you are you
  • You can grow at your own pace
  • You can feel all of your feelings
  • I love you and I care for you willingly
Doing: 6 Months to 18 Months
  • You can explore and experiment and I will support and protect you
  • You can use all of your senses when you explore
  • You can do things as many times as you need to
  • You can know what you know
  • You can be interested in everything
  • I like to watch you initiate and grow and learn
  • I love you when you are active and when you are quiet
Thinking: 18 Months to 3 Years
  • I'm glad you are starting to think for yourself
  • It's ok for you to be angry and I won't let you hurt yourself or others
  • You can say no and push and test limits as much as you need to
  • You can learn to think for yourself and I will think for myself
  • You can think and feel at the same time
  • You can know what you need and ask for help
  • You can become separate from me and I will continue to love you
Identity and Power: 3 to 6 Years
  • You can explore who you are and find out who other people are
  • You can be powerful and ask for help at the same time
  • You can try out different roles and ways of being powerful
  • You can find out the results of your behavior
  • All of your feelings are ok with me
  • You can learn what is pretend and what is real
  • I love who you are
Structure: 6 to 12 Years
  • You can think before you say yes or no and learn from your mistakes
  • You can trust your intuition to help you decide what to do
  • You can find a way of doing things that works for you
  • You can learn the rules that help you live with others
  • You can learn when and how to disagree
  • You can think for yourself and get help instead of staying in distress
  • I love you even when we differ. I love growing with you.

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