YOu Can be….

Who are you? Are you studious, funny, or bizarre? Do you accept and express yourself boldly no matter who’s around? I want to know.

 We have a bad habit in this country of telling our kids who they are, instead of helping then discover it for themselves. I think it’s because our kids’ dreams scares many of us. But as someone who’s light was diminished at an early age, I can tell you that projecting your fear onto the kids in your life can have devasting effects upon their self-esteem and ability to achieve their goals.

 That’s why it’s vital that you practice acceptance and empowerment with them. Sure, not everything they do will be awesome. And yes, I’m not saying they don’t need guidance and some reining in once in a while, but overall, they need your support, not your criticism.

That’s one of the aims of Elise Gravel’s book YOU CAN BE. In this simple book filled with bold and whimsical drawings, Elise lets kids know that they can be anything and everything. She invites them to just be themselves.

 And by reading this book to the kids in your life, you can let them know you are okay with whomever they are. And whomever they will be. (We all are works in progress after all.) And while you’re at it, give yourself some love and acceptance too. You can’t give what you don’t have, and you deserve it anyway!

As my 10-year-old self said in her Grammy acceptance speech: “Don’t tell your kids who they are, ask them. And then do everything you can to help them make their dreams come true!”

 Who are you? I really want to know.

Radical Library Resource of the week: Family Science like learning architecture by building gumdrop tower, or cheese tower or whatever building block food you have available.

Youtube video of the week: When Is a Pandemic Over courtesy of TedEd: Click on image to go to video.