Positive Parenting Messages

Father and Child

As a child, we learn what oth­ers think of us by the things they say and do. We inter­pret these mes­sages to mean some­thing and apply these mean­ings to our­selves. They then become a part of our self-concept.

Positive Mother Messages

  • I want you.
  • I love you.
  • I’ll take care of you.
  • You can trust me.
  • It’s not what you do but who you are that I love.
  • You are spe­cial to me.
  • I love you, and I give you per­mis­sion to be dif­fer­ent from me.
  • Sometimes I tell you “no,” and that’s because I love you.
  • You can trust your inner voice.
  • You don’t have to be afraid anymore.

Positive Father Messages

  • I love you.
  • I have con­fi­dence in you.
  • I will set lim­its and enforce them.
  • If you fall down, I will pick you up.
  • You are spe­cial to me. I am proud of you.
  • (For girls) You are beau­ti­ful, and I give you per­mis­sion to be a sex­u­al being.
  • (For boys) I give you per­mis­sion to be the same as I am, to be more than I am, and to be less than I am.