Secret Signs

I love this quote because I think it is SO TRUE!! Our kids just want us & we don't have to be perfect for them. They also want to be seen & know that they are loved.

Today I wanted to share something that we've been doing as a family since Alli was in preschool. How often do you attend a preschool or elementary program & see little kids waving wildly at their parents? It is just the cutest thing! Well we started this waaayyy back when Alli was just little & was nervous about being up in front of everyone & was wondering whether or not she would be able to see us. So we told her that when she saw us, she could make this specific sign that we chose together & we would make the sign back to her. When she saw that she would know that we see her, we love her, & we are proud of her! It also helped her to feel confident & brave.

Each of our kids has a "secret sign" that only the people in our family know. This sign is something that can be done naturally & without calling attention to yourself. While I don't want to share each persons sign specifically, I will give you some examples of things that work well:

• tucking your hair behind your ear

• itching your cheek, nose, or ear

• scratching your head

• rubbing your fingers across your lips

• rubbing one shoulder

You want to choose things that can be seen by the child while you're sitting somewhere in an auditorium. That's why most of these ideas involve the upper body or face.

While our intent when starting it was to give comfort & encouragement when they were young, it has carried on much longer than that! Still to this day when our kids are involved in something (even though our youngest is in high school) we see their sign. Sometimes we do it first & sometimes they do it first. We have even seen our children make that sign to their siblings!! & let me tell you that just about makes my heart explode!

Just wanted to share with you a simple way to show your children they are seen & loved & that you're proud of them!