As my wife, Dina and I were raising our children, I realized it was so important, especially as my girls got a little bit older.

We have three girls to speak words of life and affirmation to them and I don't think I

overdid it I'm not sure that you can overdo it but I would notice things and just always tell them, I love you. I love you. I

always will love you. There's nothing you can do that will stop me from

loving you. And I was very specific about various things.

I love your smile.

I love how you show up, how you're responsible.

I tried to affirm their character.

And I'm finding that those things that I said kind of in passing but intentionally stuck.

They sank in.

They're part of my girls' lives.

I'm John Fuller in the studio with Dr. Danny Huerta.

He leads our parenting and youth department here at

Focus on the family and let's go ahead and hear more now from some guests we've

had on previous episodes Matt and Lisa Jacobson they have four daughters

and lots of great advice about how to speak simple words of affirmation to your girls

Matt you stress the importance of affirming your sons and I think I understand that and I hope I've

done a good job of that with my boys but you're coming from a place where you

didn't really have the well of affirmation right and it's wonderful how God works that pendulum, you know, so much of our parenting, I think, if you're aware and you're tuned in, you will start to correct those things you didn't have and I can so relate to that and it

sounds like you had that similar experience yes absolutely and whilst saying that as a young

child i didn't really have that affirmation from my dad or my mom they did

change later in life so there there was a journey that they were all growing they they're

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