The Vermont federation of families for children’s mental health

Dear Families, Young Adults and Friends,

 

I read this quote and it has really stayed with me.  I want to share it with you.

 

“Treat a person as he is and he will remain as he is.  Treat him as he could be and he will become what he should be.”  Jimmy Johnson, former NFL coach and co-host of “Fox NFL Sunday”

 

I think the reason this quote caught my attention is because I have had the opportunity to see this in action with my son Josh.

 

Josh went through a period in time where he said to me “Mom, I love you” every day  And of course my response was “I love you too, Josh” This exchange between us kept coming more and more often throughout the day until it was almost an hourly conversation. Josh has an indirect way of communicating sometimes, so I knew there was something else he was trying to get across. So I finally had to ask him why he kept telling me so frequently that he loved me.

 

His response was “ I need to hear it from you everyday that you believe in me.  I can’t keep trying so hard if I don’t know someone believes I can do it.”

 

This conversation made me realize how extremely important it is to tell our kids everyday that we believe in them and that we love them.  It also showed me how very hard our kids have to work to be able to do what -it seems to Josh- everyone else around him can do easier, quicker and better. As family members, we need the same encouragement and support from those around us in order to give this very thing to our children.

 

Josh is a young man with several diagnoses and issues he is working on, and he is doing very well at this point in his life.  We have worked hard through many challenging years.

 

Josh has given me permission to use our/his stories if they are being used to help families.

 

So, please use this story and quote to renew your spirit and allow you to pour more positive energy into the children and young adults in your life.

 

Kathy

 

Kathleen Holsopple

Executive Director

Vermont Federation of Families