Value Permanence

      Playing the game of peekaboo with babies and small children has a purpose. It helps them learn object permanence. I remember hiding behind a blanket when my children were little, and then pulling the blanket away and seeing their surprise that I was still there. By the age of about two, children grasp that an object still exists even when it is hidden. They understand that their parent doesn't cease to exist just because they can't see them.

     As adults we all understand object permanence, but most of the clients I work with have difficulty with the concept of value permanence. They think that their value is something that increases or decreases depending on what they are accomplishing in their life, or whether people approve of them.  But the truth is, your value never wavers. You are always valuable, no matter what. The people in your life don't determine your value.  What you "do" doesn't determine your value. You were born valuable and it is permanent. Even when you can't see it or feel it, it's still there. Peekaboo!