I Am a Great Child

Every child needs to hear that they are valued. But there is an important difference between telling a child they are great and helping them understand why they have value. “I am a Great Child” is a powerful statement because it asks children to look beyond marks, achievements, behaviour and the opinions of other people. 

A child doesn't become great because they came first in a race, got the highest mark or made their parents proud. Those things can be wonderful achievements, but they don't determine a child's worth.

Children will make mistakes. They will sometimes behave badly, struggle with schoolwork, fall out with friends or feel that everyone else is better than them. If they begin to believe that these moments define them, a difficult experience can quickly become a negative story about who they are. You are not your mistakes.

A great child isn't a perfect child. A great child is learning. They are discovering what they can do, working out what they find difficult and gradually understanding the person they are becoming.

Sometimes they will need encouragement. Sometimes they will need boundaries. Sometimes they will need somebody to listen without immediately trying to solve the problem.

Most importantly, they need to know that their value isn't conditional. They don't have to be the cleverest, fastest, funniest or best behaved child in the room to matter. They matter because they are themselves. And perhaps that is the message we should give children more often.

You don't have to become somebody else to be worthy. You don't have to be perfect to be loved. You are already a great child. Now give yourself permission to discover just how much you are capable of becoming.