Happy Friday, snippeteers ...
Last week here in Singletonland, my annual CAMP NONNA was in session with our three grandSingys. Three fun and active days of swimming, spin-the-prize-wheel, dollar-bill treasure hunt, candy & novelties, a field trip to 5 Below, ice cream cones with sprinkles, a butterfly garden visit (thanks Miss Barbie!), Twister, cooking dinner together - and much more.
I feel compelled to share something powerful my 8-year-old granddaughter did. On the kiddies' first night here, after a very FULL & FUN day of activities, she was quite tuckered out (Camp Nonna is intense!) and became a bit weepy upon going to bed. She was happy to be here, yet missed her parents. She asked to video chat with them, and in the midst of her sniffling and upset, she confidently recited these words to sooth herself:
I am pretty.
I am smart.
I am brave.
I am strong.
I am friendly.
I am artistic.
And this Nonna Suza was floored! I had never before heard her say this list of self-empowering phrases. It was terrific! She eventually settled down and fell asleep (ending up in our bed, of course) :D to recharge her energetic-bunny battery for Day 2 of Camp Nonna.
The next morning as my two granddaughters, pup Lupini, and I cuddled in bed, I asked the 8-year-old, "What was that thing you said last night?" and she repeated the "I am" sequence. (She says it along with gestures, kind of like sign language.) I then suggested a craft activity for that morning to be a 'self-image poster' of her GIRL POWER WORDS. (For her little sister, age 6, we made up different words to describe her cute little self.)
So, on my computer, I designed a small poster for each girl, laminated them, tied on ribbons, and they placed the posters into their Camp Nonna Goody Bags to take home as a keepsake.
Turns out she and my son fabricated those power words and together recite them nightly before bed. (Awwwww) What a fantastic, positive thing to do with a young girl! I feel SO proud of him for thinking of, and doing this.
Snippeteers, what about us big girls? If an 8-year-old can empower herself daily by naming what she is, so can we. We all need to draw on our inner strength in times of upset, don't we?
So I ask ... WHAT ARE YOU? What are your "I am" words? Define yourself with six positive adjectives you can memorize, then recite, the next time you're feeling afraid, upset, worried, teary-eyed (and want your mommy & daddy!) :D
Girl Power!
Write them, say them, maybe even make a small poster with a ribbon to hang in a prominent place where you can say aloud these affirmations daily.
"I am."
Yes, you are.
