I am trying to be good…

It is not a good idea to use exaggerated adjectives for kids: you are the best; you always do well…etc.  For one it is not the truth, but also it puts extreme pressure on the kid. She knows she is not always doing well, but now she thinks that you expect this from her.

We try to avoid these unrealistic words of praise.

For some reason, this morning, I was overwhelmed with the bundle of joy standing in front of me, so I hugged and said: Thank you God soooo much for giving the sweetest girl in the world to us…

She was happy, she hugged me back, but within 30 seconds, she said (still happy but also with a voice correcting me):

“I am not always good. Sometimes I am good. Sometimes I am not. But I am trying to [always] be good!”

What a blessing that she has a correct understanding of what it means to be a human being. Not the overly pessimistic view (we are internally bad) or the unrealistic view (we are always good), but the honest approach to our reality: we have the potential to choose to be good or bad. God knows we are not always good, but what He expects from us to struggle to always be good. The sincere process/effort to be good is what counts…

I think people who accept their reality this way, would not feel a crushing guilt (thinking they are always bad) nor an arrogant optimism (I am good. period.), but a healthy, happy effort to try to be good… Something to look forward and an opportunity to progress…