Welcome to Moms’ Month on Dr. Stephanie! This month I will be featuring guest posts from some awesome moms around the country.  They will be sharing tips, tricks, and funny stories about motherhood.  This will be a fun celebration – thanks for joining us!  Today’s author is Megan Alpert.  Welcome, Megan!
My name is Megan Alpert and I am a mom of two boys and work for MapQuest in Denver, CO.  I love sharing the adventures of life and parenthood with my husband, Aaron.

Words to live by:

My children have perfectly good ears – they can hear the quietest whisper of a conversation, from across the room, if it is something they are trying to overhear.   And yet, most days, I find myself repeating requests as if I am speaking an undecipherable foreign language.  “Please get your shoes on…let’s set the table…please don’t swing golf clubs in the house…use your napkin instead of your shirt”    I find solace in knowing that I am not alone when I think phrases that have come to symbolize parenthood, such as: “How many times do I need to tell you” and “Did you hear me?”  Recently, I realized that even though you may feel like a repeat record, our children are listening to us.

Years ago, I read The Help, (amazing book if you haven’t read it!) and was moved by the words that the main character always recites the little girl: “You is kind. You is smart. You is important.”  I decided that this message would be a mantra that I would tell my little boys each night as I tucked them in.

Last month, my second grader came home with a stack full of papers from school.  As I flipped through his work, asking him for the 3rd time to please not throw baseballs in the kitchen, I came across a green piece of construction paper, the edge corners curled framing a white paper with marker writing.   The top of the page read, My Family Values, and below, written in his nicest penmanship, the words: “You are kind. You are smart. You are important.”  My heart smiled and I had one of those amazing moments that we all have as mothers – pure happiness and pride.
And I realized, our words do matter and our words are heard.  Choose wisely.