Just Can't Get Enough

I try to be intentional about noticing and commenting on my boys' good behaviors and attitudes. I rarely say to them,"Mitchell, you're such a good boy." Rather, I find something that I love about him specifically and find an appropriate time to mention it. I love catching them working on something I have been reminding them about for some time (for forever it sometimes feels like!)

It is so fun to see how they respond to the specificity of my praises though. If I ever use a lame generality such as "you are so good," they sometimes barely even seem to hear it. If I tell Ben I have noticed what a good job he has been doing rinsing his own dishes and putting them in the dishwasher without me asking him to, his face lights up and he says, "Thanks, mom! What else have you noticed?"

If I mention to Mitchell that I appreciate him sitting and eating like a gentleman rather than with his feet on the table and food in both fists, he actually hears me and asks, "Did you see me do that without you even telling me?"

I sometimes bust out with random, "I love you because..." and I always come up with something that is so very "them" that they smile and ask for more.

If I tell Ben why I think he is special because he has made me proud for some reason, Mitchell will always jump in with "Why do you think I'm special, mom?" It isn't too difficult to come up with something for each one, but I think it is funny how neither big boy wants to be left out when it comes to why I love them, why I think they are special, why I am proud of them, and what I appreciate about them.

They just can't get enough of it!