What Messages Do You Repeat Over and Over to Your Kids?

The other day, I was texting with a cute guy…

…(more on that later, haha) and he had just sent me a link to a New York Times article about how to communicate with your children. Here’s an excerpt of our conversation, below.

*****

Me: I also think good advice is to say the message over and over
They say if you’re running a company, you have to say the message until you’re sick of it
Bc that’s when people start to hear it
And I feel like this w/my kids

Him: What do you have to repeat for your boys the most?

Me: “i’m the boss of my body” “you’re the boss of your body” “they’re the boss of their body” — we even have a throw pillow that says it! I (and every woman I know) has had weird stuff happen, so I want to teach consent early and often.
“you are the great joys of my life, and there’s nothing you could ever do or say that would make me not love you.”
(to which anton replied, “even rob a bank?” and i said, “yes.” And he said, “bet.”)

*****

After texting, I remembered where I’d first heard the repetition advice: in an interview with Jeff Weiner, the executive chairman of LinkedIn.

“If you’re going to get a message across to big audiences, you need to repeat yourself so often that you get sick of hearing yourself say it, and only then will people begin to internalize it,” he said. “What’s that audience member doing while you’re speaking? Daydreaming, on their phone, thinking about what they’re going to have for dinner that night. I mean, right? Everyone’s got tons of stuff going on. That’s why you have to repeat yourself over and over and over again… That’s the power of repetition.”

Smart, right?

So! I am really curious: what are the messages you repeat over and over that you hope will sink in? “I love you”? “Drink water”? “Stop antagonizing your brother”?!!! (That’s another one I say on repeat.)

P.S. The best thing my mom ever did as a parent, and what are your core values?

(Photo by Erin Brant/Stocksy.)