Glow Girl

The best thing helpers can do is model what they want to see. The way I try to do this is I practice what I preach. I can't talk (and charge!) clients  about coping skills and self care, if I don't live that life myself. It'll be fake and my clients will know it. I gotta take care of myself before I tell anyone how to take care of themselves or their relationships. 

I think about this message especially for parents. We talk a lot about the influence peers have on children, but I would say that parents hold an even bigger role. Parents are the ones teaching children about becoming an adult, about relationships, about what it means to be a man or a woman. It's the basis for all knowledge. The first seeds are planted at home as babies, and as those babies grow and gain other influences they still continually look back at their caregivers to orient themselves. 

I haven't met any parents who don't love their children and want them to shine. But I've met a lot of parents who don't always show it in the most constructive way.  The best way to have your kids shine is for you to shine too. That's a message they'll get loud and clear every time.