Day 4. Today I don’t know what happened, I couldn’t stop saying nice things, and I scrambled to write down what I could remember. (There were more compliments I gave than I could write down – I was surprised at how they were rolling off my tongue since I’ve struggled a lot with praising people before…all I can say is, God is amazing.)
To my daughter
You’re so creative! (for putting away the blocks by making them into a “city” in the box)
You’re a sweet girl.
When we returned home from school, I asked, “What’s the first thing we do when we go inside the house?” She replied, “Put away our shoes, backpack & lunch bag.” I said, “I’m proud of you for remembering!”
You did great work! (for her homework) Nice sailboat!
You’re moving along nicely in Chinese class!
Thank you for helping your brother bring his cup to me.
Nice idea to use your monkey cups for your snacks.
You’re such a polite girl.
She said, “Mommy, I feel like you and Daddy need a date.” I replied, “Oh you’re so thoughtful!” She said, “I just want to play at Grandma’s house.” LOL!
Good listening ears! (for cleaning up the toys when I said, “It’s time to clean up!”)
To my son
You’re so polite! (for saying Thank You when I gave him juice)
He said, “How come Mommy & Daddy need a date?” and “This way, sweetie.” LOL!
He put his pants away into the dresser drawer. I said, “Thank you sweetie.” He goes, “You’re welcome Mommy.” I go, “Aww…so sweet!”
To my hubby
Thank you for helping me wipe the jello trail. You’re so kind!
They are good kids…and you’re a great hubby.
You’re so faithful to continue chipping away at the hard “quarry”. It takes a lot of strength & determination to do what you do with the college group. I admire that.
Observations
Ok, so most of the compliments today were for my daughter. Guess what happened? Both kids were so much happier! And so was I! It was a super fun day with them. I need to work on saving some of my energy for when hubby comes home so that I can give him more encouraging words too 
Tags: Appreciation, Art of Listening, Building Community, Marriage And Family
