“I am good enough.”

“A man with a toothache cannot fall in love.” – William Shakespeare

Had a moment today.

I was just getting settled into working in the office after breakfast with the family when I heard Ani correcting Wyatt at the table. He’s just not getting into his schoolwork and dragging his feet. He’s a smart kid, actually, really smart with math.

But Ani has a difficult time getting him to knock out some of the problems he could otherwise do easily if he just decided to do so. Side-stepping the conversation about young boy’s attention span and the need for burning energy, which is a very real part of parenting boys, today showed something that needed to be addressed.

I stepped into the dining room where they were and watched for a few minutes. Wyatt’s head was slouched down and looked defeated. He kept saying, “I can’t, I can’t.”

I hated my multiplication; I get it. I spent my whole childhood on the war against doing math. But luckily for Wyatt, he received Ani’s math mind. He can do this.

I could see a lack of confidence in his eyes. You can tell when someone looks defeated. Slouched, sorrowful.

This wasn’t just defiance, there was something else there.

Ani was trying to encourage him but she wasn’t breaking through in the moment. I jumped in because I think he needed to hear something from me that needs to come from dads.

“I want you to say something out loud for me buddy. Repeat after me, ‘I am good enough.'”

He didn’t even look up but he attempted it. Honestly couldn’t even hear him but I could see his lips moving.

“I can’t hear you.”

“mbbmbmbmm…”

“You have to speak it with confidence pal.”

“I am goo dd enmmuf”

“Come on bud. Say it again.”

“I am good enough.”

“Say it with confidence Wyatt!” I elevate my voice and hit my chest like Tarzan on this one.

He looks up at me and yells it out with a tear in his eye, “I am good enough!“

Damn right you’re good enough kid.

—-

Look, we all need to hear it. We need to speak it. More importantly, we need to speak that into our kids. It’s too easy to just be hard on them, I get there myself.

As fathers, we need to build up our children, but especially our sons. Don’t forget to tell them that you love them often, that you’re proud of them, and that they are good enough.

Because maybe they’re not yet good enough to solve a problem, but they’re good enough to learn to figure it out and know we’re there for them.

—

So if you’re feeling not good enough, you are good enough to apply yourself to it. Many voices can and will seek to tear you down, but none more devastating than your inner voice. Speak it out.

“I am good enough.“

If you have the opportunity to, here’s the reminder to lift your kids today, even if they’re grown. Because one day, they won’t have that voice to hear from you anymore. Give it while you can. If you don’t have children, your encouragement to someone else can do wonders.

Be the Light of the world and shine on someone today.

Adam Jarosz is the founder of Righteous Co. and author of “Iron Ore: Journal of a Man” – a company built on faith, formation, and adventure. With over twenty years of experience in ministry and business, Adam leads retreats, coaches men to be the leaders they were called to be, and writes from the trenches of entrepreneurship.

He’s a husband, father of four, and believer in Christ and His Church, the power of grit and grace, and good fellowship. Follow along for insights that challenge, encourage, and call you higher with his newsletter, The Climb.