Grwong Up Again Affirmations for Stages 1-5 (Prenatal to age Twelve)

[BeHea1thy]

AFFIRMATIONS for prenatal to age twelve
From Growing Up Again-Chapter 25 Ages and Stages Jean Illsley Clarke & Connie Dawson

Prenatal Stage-Becoming (from conception to birth)
I celebrate that you are alive.
Your needs and safety are important to me.
We are connected and you are whole.
You can make healthy decisions about your experiences.
You can be born when you are ready.
Your life is your own.
I love you just as you are.

Stage 1, Being (from birth to six months)
I'm glad you are alive.
You belong here.
What you need is important to me.
I'm glad you are you.
You can grow at your own pace.
You can feel all of your feelings.
I love you and care for you willingly.

Stage 2, Doing (from six months to eighteen months)
You can explore and experiment and I will support and protect you.
You can use all of your senses when you explore.
You can do things as many times as you need to.
You can know what you know.
You can be interested in everything.
I like to watch you initiate, grow and learn.
I love you when you are active and when you are quiet.

Stage 3, Thinking (from eighteen months to three years)
I'm glad you are starting to think for yourself.
It's OK for you to be angry, and I won't let you hurt yourself or others.
You can say no and push and test limits as much as you need to.
You can learn to think for yourself and I will think for myself.
You can think and feel at the same time.
You can know what you need and ask for help.
You can become separate from me and I will continue to love you.

Stage 4, Identity and Power (from three years to six years)
You can explore who you are and find out who other people are.
You can be powerful and ask for help at the same time.
You can try out different roles and ways of being powerful.
You can learn the results of your own behavior.
All of your feelings are okay with me.   
You can learn what is pretend and what is real.
I love who you are.

Stage 5, Structure (from six years to twelve years)
You can think before you say yes or no and learn from your mistakes.
You can trust your intuition to help you decide what to do.
You can find a way of doing things that works for you.
You can learn the rules that help you live with others.
You can learn when and how to disagree.
You can think for yourself and get help instead of staying in distress.
I love you even when we differ; I love growing with you.

The authors use a consistent format within each stage which outlines:
1. the job of the child in terms of developmental tasks
2. typical behaviors of the child
3. affirmations for (that particular stage)
4. helpful parent behaviors
5. unhelpful parent behaviors
6. stage specific tasks adults may "recycle" (trying again or for the first time)
7. clues to a need for adults to grow up again.
8. activities that support growing up again.

A final note: STAY UNDERWHELMED
Many of us, when we glimpse what we can do to improve our lives, want to do it all at once. We want to be finished last week. We want to grow up fast. It doesn't work that way. ... If you feel discouraged, remember that as you grow up again, each plateau is higher than the last. Growing up is a process, not a one-time accomplishment. When you feel impatient, repeat to yourself:

One hole at a time (refers to filling a hole in a protective shield)
One task at a time
One experience at a time
One new decision at a time
One new behavior at a time
One day at a time

[Hope67]

Hi BeHea1thy,
This is such a great list - I will be coming back here to look at it - it will be so useful and thanks for doing this.  Such a great resource.
Hope 

[Tee]

Hi BeHea1thy,
This is such a great list - I will be coming back here to look at it - it will be so useful and thanks for doing this.  Such a great resource.
Hope 

[woodsgnome]

Thanks for this, BeHea1thy. My initial reaction, though, veered in the direction of panic -- it's hard work growing up, again (gulp). And being as it feels like I missed the first go only sets up the perfectionist trap of feeling that I have to get this right. Please, universe, I can't fail at this.

So I appreciated the counter-advice to be UNDER-WHELMED. Room to breathe, and, uh-oh -- patience. Oh, and an unspoken quality of faith that yes, it can be done. Somehow, someway, and these affirmations will help point the way. Feels good, like finding the loving inner voice that rings true, but was always prevented from telling its truth.

Thanks again.