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Look in the mirror.  What do you see?  A man or a woman, someone who is heavy or thin, tall or short, with hair that is curly or wavy or straight or a head with no hair at all.  When someonelooks at you, can they know if you are courageous, or shy, or smart or compassionate?

The pencil maker’s third lesson to the pencil is: WHAT IS IMPORTANT IS INSIDE OF YOU.

How true this is!  A person’s character is not displayed on his face.  We cannot tell by looking at someone what kind of person they are.  But how often do many people judge others by what they see on the surface.

There’s an old saying…you can’t tell a book by its cover.  And the uniqueness of each individual is often hidden within. 

1.     In order to accept and love others as they are, we need to accept and love ourselves as we are.  Never stop trying to be the best person you can be…but don’t berate yourself for your failings or weaknesses.  If you need help overcoming or dealing with a problem, ask for it…join a support group, talk to a friend…don’t give up. 

2.     We can help our children become accepting and loving people by encouraging them to accept and love who they are and by loving them unconditionally.  Celebrate your child’s unique qualities and strengths.

3.     Sometimes it is difficult when a child displays different interests or talents from those of the rest of the family.  But life shouldn’t be a paint-by-number existence.  This is a parent’s opportunity to encourage these special gifts. 

My passion for children’s picture books evolved into a program for preschoolers utilizing picture books and their messages to help children deal with many of the issues they encounter in their early years.  The main characters in the following books express their individuality and, even though they are not always accepted or understood, they stay true to their inner self and persevere.  Look for them in your local library or bookstore.  Why not plan to read one with your child?  Just by spending time participating positively with your children tells them they have value…one of the basic components of a positive self-image.

BRAVO MAURICE written and illustrated by Rebecca Bond

SHY CHARLES written and illustrated by Rosemary Wells

CROW BOY written and illustrated by Taro Yashima

OLIVER BUTTON IS A SISSY written and illustrated by Tomie de Paola

Tune in tomorrow for Lesson #4: In Life, You Will Undergo Painful Sharpening Which Will Only Make You Better.

By the way, there are so many valuable blogsites out there for parents…and giveaways galore…from time to time I’ll provide a link to a blog hop which can introduce you to many great bloggers at one time..check this one out: <script src=”http://www.linkytools.com/basic_linky_include.aspx?id=67827” type=”text/javascript” ></script>