validation
i've been thinking about this all day so i'm just going to write a little so maybe i can get some of my thoughts straight.
my dad wrote a post on his web journal about how proud he is of my brother. let me just say it now, i understand why he wrote what he did and he has every reason to be proud of his son. my brother deserves all that was said and more.
what has got me thinking is that this post brought up old feelings for me of not ever really feeling validated by my dad. of course, this stems from my childhood but obviously still affects me today as an adult. i know my dad loves me but i can't picture him writing such affirming things about me and the things that i do or have accomplished in my life. i don't really know why that is. it's just reality.
but it made me think about some of the teens i know. are they being validated by their parents? or more personally, by me? i need to do a better job at affirming my young friends and letting them know that whatever is going on in their lives - big or small - is as important as anything else going on.
our personal lives are so full of hopes and dreams, accomplishment and failures. don't we all want others to know some of it? who we are because of it? and say, "wow! that's great" and "you're great." i think that's even more true for a young person. validation helps form a sense of who they are and, ultimately, their self worth. in today's world, that's important.
thanks for reading my ramblings. i'm not sure how much sense i've made... but i got it off my chest.
my dad wrote a post on his web journal about how proud he is of my brother. let me just say it now, i understand why he wrote what he did and he has every reason to be proud of his son. my brother deserves all that was said and more.
what has got me thinking is that this post brought up old feelings for me of not ever really feeling validated by my dad. of course, this stems from my childhood but obviously still affects me today as an adult. i know my dad loves me but i can't picture him writing such affirming things about me and the things that i do or have accomplished in my life. i don't really know why that is. it's just reality.
but it made me think about some of the teens i know. are they being validated by their parents? or more personally, by me? i need to do a better job at affirming my young friends and letting them know that whatever is going on in their lives - big or small - is as important as anything else going on.
our personal lives are so full of hopes and dreams, accomplishment and failures. don't we all want others to know some of it? who we are because of it? and say, "wow! that's great" and "you're great." i think that's even more true for a young person. validation helps form a sense of who they are and, ultimately, their self worth. in today's world, that's important.
thanks for reading my ramblings. i'm not sure how much sense i've made... but i got it off my chest.
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