0:00Episode 3,972, you make my heart so happy. Mom's, it's time to rediscover, rejuvenate, and renew who you are in mind, body, and spirit. Welcome to Create Your Now, Your Best Selfie, the show that help you do just that. Here's your host, Certified Life Coach, Personal Trainer, and Nutritionist, Christian Wargo. Happy Happy Day! Are you ready for the weekend? Because guess what? It's time to celebrate Valentine's Day. Yes, tomorrow. Okay, if you haven't forgotten. This is your reminder, Valentine's Day is tomorrow, so go out, do whatever you need to do. Write a cute sweet letter. Yes, to your sweet heart, but you know what today is all about confession day. For your kiddos, you make my heart so happy. For those of you who are brand new to Create Your Now, welcome to this incredible family. I'm so delighted of your presence. If you already even had the opportunity, you'll want to head on over to CreateYourNow.com where you can learn more and to sign up for the Kisses newsletter, the Keep It Simple Strategy, everyday solutions to live, love, and impact, with this episode as brought to you by AIM, Inspiring Connection,

1:03and Community. You know it, Valentine's Day comes around each year like clockwork, bringing with it the usual swirl of red hearts, chocolates, and flowers. Mmm, it all sounds delicious and smells beautiful, but for a mom and dad, these symbols of love can sometimes fill surface level, like they're missing the real heartbeat beneath all the glitter and sugar, because the truth is the kind of love that fills a mother's chest isn't wrapped up neatly in a box or tied with a bow. It's messy, it's so wild, it's tender, and deeply personal. It's found in the late night cuddles, the long telephone calls, the text messages you wish you didn't have to read at 1am, the great knees comforted, and whispered, I love yous, that echo long after bedtime. You make my heart so happy. Your child is not just a recipient of love, they are love in motion. Every giggle,

2:06every fierce try, every moment of curiosity is a thread woven into the fabric of your heart. They carry a collection of unique gifts and talents that make them who they are, and these gifts deserve more than just a nod on Valentine's Day. They deserve to be seen, they deserve to be celebrated and nourished in ways that build confidence and joy well beyond this single day. As a mom, you know the fierce pride that rises when you watch your child try something new or stand tall despite their fears. You fill it in the small moments when they share their dreams, offer kindness or reveal a spark of creativity you didn't see before. This Valentine's Day lean into that fierce love with intention. Celebrate your child, not with candy or flowers, but with words and actions that honor the bouquet of talents and heartbeats they bring into your world. The kind of celebration that serves them long-term,

3:09planting seeds of self-worth and happiness, they'll carry through every year to come. Don't you think it's time to celebrate your child? That is your kiss to keep it simple strategy, you want to celebrate them. Because too often we think about Valentine's Day as a celebration for lovers, and as much as our sweet hearts as in who we're sleeping with and all that jazz, yeah, they have meaning in our life too. Don't get me wrong, my story will come tomorrow. But right now with our kiddos, we can't forget them. And I'm not saying we do forget them, but I think we sit here and we stumble across something that can be so meaningful. I go back to my dad and I love what he did when we started having kiddos and understand all five of them blessed surprises. None of them planned. No, not one. If it was planned our way, we may have had two kiddos and it would have happened like four years later than when we actually had our first.

4:13And so I'd be behind the times. I would still have kids that were much younger instead. No, I've got kids that are older. I'm like, there's no way they could be that old. It makes me very, very old. That's why I'm over the hill. Not really, but we'll pretend to be that I'm over the hill, but I'm not. So anyway, age is a number, right? And so today, I want you to focus on celebrating your child the way you need to see them, whether they're underneath your roof right now or whether they're traveling or whether they're living in another part in another piece of land somewhere, living their own life, whatever it is, I want you to celebrate your child. And there's some unique ways you can do that. And I just want to give you some ideas. I want you to think outside the box. I don't want you to think about what the world is telling you to do and all the advertisements and all of that. That's fun, but no, I want you to do something different. Number one, write a love letter that speaks their language. No generic Valentine's card can compare to a letter from you that names exactly what makes your child shine. Write down the moments you saw their courage and kindness or

5:16creativity and action. Be specific. I love how you stood up for your friend today. Or maybe it's your drawing made me smile because it's so full of imagination. It makes my heart so happy. This focus attention tells your child, I see you. Our kiddos need to be seen. They don't need it from Instagram or Facebook. They need to be seen by their mama, by their daddy, by their grandma, by their papa, by their auntie and by their uncles. And that kind of love sticks with them long term. You see, when we started having our kiddos, one thing my dad would do and I thought it was just absolutely so precious is him and my mother would send them Valentine's Day cards. And they would send them Easter things too. Now, yeah, we celebrated Christmas and all that with presents and all that and that was kind of more like the norm. But Valentine's Day and Easter,

6:21it was something they did just special. They wanted them to know that they saw who each child was. My kids to this day talk about that. Do you remember when Papa sent us this? Sometimes it was just a cute little bracelet. Sometimes it was $51 bills. You see, you don't have to have a lot to fill a heart. And I think sometimes with all the commercials out there, we think that the way we need to send our love needs to have multiple zeros behind it. It does not. It needs to have your heart behind it. And our kiddos need to know that you love them in a manner that's special to them. So write a love letter that speaks their language. Number two, fill a love jar with affirmations they can reach for any time. Every child needs a reminder they're extraordinary, especially when days feel tough. And you can do this regardless of your kiddos age. If they're 45,

7:2550 years old, by all means get a love jar for them. And you can decorate it. Maybe they're into Star Wars. Then get a Star Wars jar and put some cool things in it. Black paper silver paper right on it. Or if you're like Christian, I'm not that creative. That's okay. You don't have to be. But you have to be present. And you have to be willing to share your heart with your child. So fill the jar with little notes of praise, favorite memories, or fun challenges tied to their passions. You know, maybe they're in a job that is stressful. And they need to remember that, wait, wait, you're really good at and whatever it is and say, you know, I remember when you made that ceramic dish back in third grade. It still sits on our bookcase. And I love seeing it. In fact, today, I walked by whatever it is. Okay. But fill that jar, whether they pull out a note before

8:26a test or on a gloomy day, or when they've come home because their boss yelled at them, these bits and bites of encouragement become a portable pep talk from their biggest fan. You, you're their biggest cheerleader. They need those portable pep talks. And having it and riding to see it, I guarantee you, when they read it, they hear your voice as if you're right there. It's an ongoing celebration that keeps on giving. And finally, number three, create a mini celebration around what makes them glow. What activities make your child's eyes light up? And they're smile widen. Now, it's easier if your kids are older, okay? Because you can go and, you know, go to concerts and things like that or go to a certain movie or whatever. But when your kids are smaller, you're like, oh, I don't know what this is. Well, maybe it's puzzles. Maybe it's dancing. Maybe it's helping around the house because they just think the vacuums really cool. Do you remember those days? I wish I had those days like every day. They were

9:31home. It would have been so much easier in my life. You know, then, mom, can I have a vacuum? I would have had 10 vacuums if they all loved the vacuum, right? But seriously, dedicate Valentine's afternoon to this passion of what they want. And maybe it's not something that you do and have time to do with every child. Maybe it's something you do for the weekend. So Valentine's Day is obviously on Saturday this year. So maybe you break it up. Maybe you do something on Friday and Saturday and Sunday. It doesn't have to be an all-in one day or you could make two hours with one child, two hours with the next child. But make it special because this choice says, I notice what you love and you deserve time to do it. I want to celebrate that with you. And when your children feel their interest are valued, it builds confidence that outlasts any sweet treat. I mean, come on. I can eat a little piece of chocolate in less than a millisecond. It's like, I want more. But you can create a memory and a moment that lasts a lifetime by going maybe to their favorite

10:39bookstore and looking and getting one favorite book because they love to read. What a way to honor your child and that. What a way to celebrate them and not say, gosh, all you do is sit in your room and read. Is that really the attitude we need to have? But honestly, we sometimes do that. And we want to pull them out of their rooms and say, why don't you just come sit with us? And I'm thinking, why don't you go sit with them? Why don't you go in their room and if they're reading their book, why don't you go in their room and sit with them and read your book? How would that change our conversations with our children? Might change a lot. And you don't have to wait till it's odour kindred. You don't have to wait till they're older. You don't have to wait till they moved out. Valentine's Day is the perfect moment to trade the expected for the exceptional. To tell your child with actions and words that they are deeply loved for exactly who they are and what they bring into the world. Because mom, when you celebrate your child's true gifts, you're planting seeds of pride and joy. They'll carry for life. And that's what you want for them.

11:45And that's when you say, oh, sweetheart, you make my heart so happy. Go in peace. Be present. Be incredible. Be you. I love you so very much. I cannot wait to see you on the other side. Blessing tongues and lots and lots of love. We'll talk to you real soon. Have a glorious blessed weekend. Bye bye. Feeling inspired and ready to train for life and love your journey, visit createyournow.com for more incredible resources to help you along the way. We'll see you next time on Create Your Now, Your Best Selfie. And remember, always be sure you consult your physician before beginning any health and fitness plan.