I'm a Victor

I have been really impacted by a message I heard at church recently. It was about living as a victor and not a victim. One point really hit home with me: a victim speaks the language of defeat; a victor speaks the language of praise.


In the book, Raising My Spirited Child, it talks about the way the world loves to label people. And more often than not, we have labels for all those around us, including our children. Labels are ok...as long as they're the right kind of labels - labels that we are proud to wear. Spirited children can be the wearers of many not so nice kinds of labels. Willfull. Stubborn. Disobedient. Naughty. Wild. Out of control. High-maintenance. I could go on. As mothers, we have the power to change these labels...or make sure they never even get a chance to stick.


Have you ever noticed how if you start calling someone a particular name, the people around you begin to call them by that name too? Such is the power of words. The fact that Benjamin follows me around crying if I leave the room and seems to need constant attention and touch can be really annoying and totally time-consuming. Makes me want to pull my hair out some days. (And yes I have tried to leave him...he can scream for loooong time!)But I've chosen to appreciate the cuddly and affectionate little boy that he is. He genuinely just wants to to be with us. And as I've been giving him that quality time that he needs, he seems to be a much happier boy. My mom has noticed it too. And she's noticed that I am more positive about Benjamin and has commented I look happier! (O dear, what did I look like before?)


There are so many things I'm learning about my boy. Things like that expecting him to sit still is actually quite a big ask. He's very energetic and he's also a go-getter. Don't you love those words? It's those kind of labels that are going to give him the freedom to be who he is made to be. And yes sure there are going to be time when bad labels from someone in his world will manage to stick and I'll have to do some damage control. But I also the power of the foundation I'm building into his life right now.