the power of suggestion

I don't dye my hair, ever. Twice in my entire life have I had it highlighted. The reason: besides the fact that its an incredibly expensive habit, I genuinely like the color of my hair, alot. From about as early as I can remember my mom would tell me how beautiful my hair color is, how much she loved it. She called me her "little golden girl," she still does. And even though I'm 25 and have three kids of my own, I still like it when she says that to me. It makes me feel good. And I love the color of my hair. Why change something that you love about yourself? That got me thinking about the power of suggestion on the self-image of our children. My hair was not the only thing my parents used to praise me about. My dad used to tell me how smart I was, how articulate, how mature. He said I could be Katie Couric (with different politics of course) if I wanted to. So I grew up knowing I was smart, knowing I was sharp. It gave me the confidence to become the things my dad saw in me. (did he say egotistical as well? hmm.) My mother told me I was a good girl, that she always knew I'd make good decisions, and I never gave in to temptation. I never put any drugs or alcohol into my body. I've never smoked anything. When I married my husband I was still a virgin. Mothers, fathers, have you thought about the power you have over your children? What are their strengths? Do you tell them? Tell them what you know they are, what you know they can be, and they will become it. I love my daughter's hair color. It's beautiful and in the sun, she has the most beautiful highlights. I brought her outside to take a picture of her hair in the sun. Then I told her how beautiful her hair is. She smiled.