Negative Self-Talk

I was asked by my 5-year-old the other day, “Can you hear what I’m thinking?”

When I told her “no,” she didn’t believe me and went on to try and prove I was wrong. I’m not sure where she gets her stubbornness from…..

She told me she was thinking of some bad words in her brain and wanted to see if I could hear what they were. She was shocked when I said, “no, I can’t hear one word.” And then, I knew this could be one of those “parenting moments” that are so precious.

I told her that her inner thoughts are something to cherish, that they are only for her, and that she can choose to share them with other people or not at all. I told her that she can think of anything she wants, dream whatever she wants to dream, and say as many bad words as she desires. Her thoughts are hers, and only hers.

She was ecstatic. Something that was JUST for her and that no one else could have. Her own special place of secrets and reflection.

It reminded me of how special our inner voice is and how frequently we take it for granted. And it made me wonder when that shift happened, as we grew, when we transformed that lovely gift of inner dialogue into something that can shame us, tell us we’re not enough, or remind us of how much we haven’t yet accomplished.

I hope you can reclaim some joy from your inner voice today. Revel in the beauty of sorting through ideas that are only meant for you, dream dreams that are special and secret, and take joy in thinking of a few curse words along the way.

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