Henri Nouwen says that the word blessing comes from the Latin word benedicere, or benediction. Benediction literally means speaking (dicto) well (bene) or saying good things of someone. He continues, "To give a blessing is to affirm, to say 'yes' to a person's Belovedness. And more than that: to give a blessing creates the reality of which it speaks." We must convey to our children that they are the beloved of God, just as they are loved by us.
— Henri J. M. Nouwen, Children and Prayer by Betty Shannon Cloyd