“Just keep doing what you’re doing,” my older son’s kindergarten teacher told us, leaning slightly forward over the conference room table.

“Thank you,” I said, smiling harder than I expected to at a parent-teacher conference. She had just finished telling us what a delight our son was to have in class, as he worked hard, focused on getting things done, and was kind to his classmates. This is in contrast to some of his behavior at home. Lately, he has been not listening, fighting every effort to get ready for bedtime, antongizing his brother, and having a marked lack of self-control.

As I exhaled, it felt like I had been holding my breath for days.

During the tough moments, I kept telling myself that he was using all of his focus and attention at school, leaving little left for home. But I worried I was just telling myself fibs so I could feel better about my parenting. But she had confirmed my story. Her words revealed a different side of him – and of my parenting.

I don’t think she had any idea how much those words meant to me, but I’m so glad she said them. Even though we all want to rely on our own judgement, we also want outside validation. We want to know it’s not all just in our heads.

Sometimes, we just need to hear “keep doing what you’re doing.” And sometimes other people need to hear that from us. We can be the ones to share that message.

I challenge you to go out and encourage a fellow parent today, whether that’s a friend, your partner, or just someone you admire as a mom or dad. Who can you extend some encouragement to?

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