I tape hearts on my daughter’s wall the night before Valentine’s Day.

Each one is a statement I tell her often about her personality, her kind and generous spirit, and her other positive characteristics.

I normally take them down the next day, but this year I'm doing things differently.

𝗜'𝗺 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗼𝗻 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗱𝗼𝗼𝗿.

I want her to hold onto what is written on those hearts 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑙𝑒 𝑑𝑎𝑦. I want her to remember those words when her inner critic is telling her a different message.

The next time she is struggling to answer a math question, I want her to think of the heart that says, “You are capable.” When she is afraid to try something new, I want her to visualize the words, “You are brave.” The next time she accidentally knocks over her cup while putting the dishes in the dishwasher, I want her to remember, “You are helpful.”

My hope is that these messages that come from my heart and my voice 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑢𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑤𝑛 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑣𝑜𝑖𝑐𝑒.

I hope she will remember them until they are no longer words; they are truths that whisper in her ear when life is cold and cruel.

I hope she remembers who she truly is whenever she is faced with fear, doubts, and insecurity.

Most of all, I hope 𝑠ℎ𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑠 𝑖𝑛 ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑓 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑙𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑠 ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑓 as much as the person who wrote her those messages.

This was previously written on the author's Facebook page. Randi is the creator of Surviving Mom Blog. You can find her on Facebook here and on Instagram here.