(ignore the chalk on the walls. Adeline decided to 'color' when I thought she was napping. Magic eraser to the rescue!)
It is so hard to be true to yourself these days. Between all of the social media blasts that are constantly coming our way and telling us what we should look like, what color our hair should be, and what size clothes we should wear; it's hard to find something who is truly one of a kind.
As a parent it is so important that I teach my girls to be true to themselves. I never want my girls to feel that we favor one of them over the other but I want them to know that we love them each as individual people. They are not the same, and as parents I think it's hard to not compare. Even at such young ages I am constantly saying things like "Adeline did this but Eleanor didn't" or "Eleanor had 4 teeth by this time but Adeline didn't have any." What seems harmless can do so much danger in the long run.
Right after Eleanor was born we began doing a lot of research on how to help Adeline adjust to her new little sister. We didn't want her to get lost in the 'big sister' role and get looked over. Some of the things that we discovered were key in helping her transition into not being the only baby in the house while still helping her feel unique and special. Each night I began telling her one thing that I loved just about her. It might be something like "I love your cute nose." or it may have been something as complex as "I love the way you helped change Sissy's diaper today." Something that gave her self worth and helped her feel special. As Eleanor has grown we have also adopted this practice with her. We also make sure to say things like "You are our favorite Adeline (or Eleanor)" instead of just "You are our favorite".
As Christians we know it is important to teach our children that we are made in God's image and yet we are all so uniquely different. A very special verse to our family is Psalms 139:13-14:
For you created my inmost being;
you knit be together in my mother's womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made,
your works are wonderful;
I know that full well.
A few months ago I was contacted by Dayspring and was given the opportunity to share some of their products with my family. I was so excited when I saw that the core messge behind their U-NEEK line was the verse that we share with our girls all the time and the message of living unique and one of a kind lives for Jesus. Adeline loves her "Awwie" Alliebird Big Ole' Pillow Plush and sleeps with it every night. It has our favorite verse on the back of it so when we say our prayers we always point out the verse and say it together. Eleanor has a smaller plush toy, Trysta May, and plays with it daily. She loves to chew on the ears and I've already had to wash it a couple times!
The Dweeber-God Rocks reusable party cups are perfect for our family since Adeline is transitioning to big-girl cups and the fact that they are dishwasher safe is icing on the cake!
They also make great stacking toys too.
My girls are too small for lunch boxes and they definitely can't read but when I saw these Encouragement Notes I grabbed them up as well as the Fearfully and Wonderfully Made stickers for my AWANA class at church. The greeting cards came in very handy when a student was sick and when I forgot to buy a birthday card! The come 3 to a pack so I still have one on hand.
If ordering online isn't for you, U-NEEK products will be available in both Walmart and Hobby Lobby until July 7th. These would be great items for you to run out and grab and keep for the special kids in your life that need to know that they are unique and special in the eyes of God.
How are you teaching your kids or the children in your life to be unique? I'd love to hear what being unique means to you.
*Affiliate links are used throughout this post. This means that if you purchase items through these links I will earn a small commission. Dayspring was very gracious to give me the products listed in return for sharing them with you but all words and opinions are my honest opinion and these special products have become cherished items in my home and my family.