Mirror time

At the beginning of 2021, I started a daily habit with my daughter that I call “mirror time.” Each morning before I head to work, I put her up on the bathroom counter and we look at her in the mirror. And everyday I tell her the same thing:

You are good.

You are smart.

You are beautiful.

You are kind.

You are strong.

You are brave.

You belong to Jesus.

And your daddy loves you more than anything in the world. Ok?

And she always responds with “ok.” It is one of my most treasured moments of the day because I try to imagine the impact that this ritual could have on her. I know I’ll make mistakes and say things wrong as a dad, but if the overwhelming reinforcement has been that I believe in her, that I believe she is smart and beautiful and brave, that I love her more than anything in the world, maybe someday when middle school or high school or dating or something gets hard, my truth is the truth upon which she will rest.

With our new little guy, I can more clearly imagine what I’d want a boy to hear from his dad. I’ll say most of the same things because I want him to know and believe the same things as his sister. But a boy and his dad have a bit of a different relationship than a girl and her dad. I believe what Walker will need to hear is:

You are good.

You are smart.

You are kind.

You are strong.

You are brave.

You belong to Jesus.

Your daddy is grateful for and proud of exactly the man that you are right now.

And your daddy loves you more than anything in the world. Ok?

I hope there is never question in my son’s mind that he is more than enough for his daddy.

And I hope none of my kids ever question the love for and devotion I have to them.