Update: I did complete this for 30 days with only a couple of days missed. Each time I would stop him to shower him with gushy complements, he would hold back a smile. He started asking me why I always "do this". I can't say he was a totally transformed kid, but he has been respectful of us and our rules. He started being more playful with me (funny banter, wrestling, teasing), which is how he and I connect. It's been a couple weeks since I stopped making a concerted effort to do it every day and he's had a moody, rude behavior week this week. Not sure if they're connected 🤷‍♀️. The new photos are of a note I left him on day 30 when I had to leave town to take care of our cabin. 1. Starting today, I gave myself a 30-day challenge to transform my son's beliefs about himself. I made this challenge up, so it is also an experiment (though based on psychological principles). I'm calling it the "Ed Mylett Challenge". Ed is an entrepreneur and professional speaker/ influencer. Almost everyday since the day that each of his kids were born, he has looked them directly in the eye and showered them with compliments. They are often the same, repeated ones, but that's not the rule. They are whatever he wants them to believe about themselves. Because kids will act on whatever it is they believe about themselves. This has been well studied. So my challenge/ experiment: For 30 days I will tell my 13 yr old a string of compliments each day. This can be over a text or call or note or as I stare him in the eyes. Imma see if it transforms him in any ways. He is a strong willed, I prefer the term determined, child and I have always worried that the amount of times he receives correction or is met with disappointment, has out weighed the amount of compliments we give him. And thus, I worry, has given him some negative self-identities. The times when I have seen him grow the most, or self correct patterns, is when I have expressed that I believe him to be better than the fill-in-the-blank behavior. I see something inside of him spark when I have communicated that I believe his natural talents and character are going to help him meet our expectations for his behavior. That was wordy- did that make sense? Today I texted him after I dropped him off at school. I never got a response, but I know he needs to hear more words like those in the text. I will post updates on how the challenge goes. Feel free to do it with me and let us know how it goes!

What is your favorite meal to make for your family and why?

Most of us indulge in a golden turkey, stuffing, potatoes, and way too much pie. But do you have traditions with your kids to help them recall their gratitude? Let's share our traditions and ideas here ⬇️ I'll start.

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