How to Celebrate Your Child's Uniqueness

There's a lot of talk nowadays about letting your child be who God created them to be. On the other end of the spectrum, there are a lot of parent's who say that controlling their child's every move is key to raising a good member of society.

Studies have proven that there are many emotional and mental benefits to letting your child embrace their uniqueness. Children who are taught that what makes them different makes them beautiful are more creative, have higher levels of confidence and are better-rounded individuals.

Here are a few ways that you can help your child embrace their unique traits:

Find What Makes Them Special

Be quick to share with your child unique character traits that you notice in them. For example, my little one is highly energetic and has a big heart. He also prefers quiet and sings whenever he gets the chance. I make sure to notice whenever he's singing and compliment him on it because that is something that makes him uniquely him. Other unique traits might be book-smarts, organized, flexible, athletic or a cuddler! Identifying these unique things with your child is even better because it gives them a sense of self.

Let Them Explore

Let your child find their niche. Offer them countless chances to read books of their choosing, take classes to learn things they're interested and go on trips to places they mention. Let them draw, paint, or play in the grass. Even if an idea seems a little out there, don't completely discredit it. My Mom did a great job of letting us choose our unique interests. In my family, we had interests ranging from hair and makeup to rock collecting!

Celebrate Difference

To celebrate our children's uniqueness, we need to model celebrating the differences in others. Whether that's the way people look or the things they're passionate about, try to make sure that the language used to talk about other people is positive. We can teach our children that everyone deserves respect, even if you wouldn't choose to live your life the way that they do.

When we celebrate the uniqueness in our children, they are given the freedom to be who God created them to be. They're given permission to live out the destiny they're supposed to and to fit their own version of awesome.

How do you maximize your child's unique traits?