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The ancient writer\\u2014and father\\u2014Plutarch tells us of a parenting strategy he discovered in the works of Plato. \\u201cYoung people must be taught from childhood,\\u201d he said, \\u201cthat it is not right to wear gold on their bodies or to possess it, since they have their own personal gold intermixed into their soul, hinting (I think) at the virtue that is part of human nature and received at birth.\\u201d\\xa0

It\\u2019s a beautiful idea: They don\\u2019t need to wear that most precious and sought after ornament...because they are made of something much more precious. Even more beautiful is the timelessness of this observation. Plato said it over 2000 years ago...and Mr. Rogers ended every one of his programs with something very similar. "You've made this day a special day by just being you,\\u201d he would say. \\u201cThere's no person in the whole world like you, and I like you just the way you are."\\xa0

We must, as parents, teach our children where their value really lies. It\\u2019s not in accomplishments. It\\u2019s not in what they earn or how they look. It\\u2019s not to be found in anything external at all. It\\u2019s inherent. It exists because they exist. Because there is no one on the planet with their same combination of DNA and experiences and circumstances. That\\u2019s what makes them special\\u2014what makes them rarer than any of the rarest jewels and more precious than the most precious metals.\\xa0

That\\u2019s why we love them. And why they should love and value themselves.\\xa0

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