A few days ago I posted something on my Facebook page that started out like this: This is just too good not to share with all of you.... Below that was a drawing my 10-year-old granddaughter, Laney, dad done. The ‘likes’, ‘loves’, and comments started pouring in. So, keeping with that same mindset about things being too good not to share, I texted my daughter, telling her to make sure Laney saw all the positive feedback she had received.
I wanted her to see these things because every kid needs to know their talents and abilities matter. In a world where participation trophies are given out for anything and everything, a child needs to know that excelling and working to reach their full potential—to do their best and sometimes be the best at something—is more than okay.
And then there’s my granddaughter, Macy. She is quite the athlete, which is something I am not and never have been. But I take great joy and pride in watching her. But extenuating circumstances have kept me from that, lately, so I called to talk to her and to let her know I was cheering her on from afar, so to speak. During the course of our conversation, she said something along the lines of, “I’m really good at it—but I don’t mean to brag….”
My response was this: “You’re not bragging. You are speaking truth.” Which she was. No, that’s not a biased statement, because when you bring your team from being eleven points behind to winning the game, you’ve done something good. Okay, so maybe I bragged just a little bit just now, but that’s a nanna’s prerogative, right?
The point I want to make, though, is that a child shouldn’t be afraid or embarrassed to admit when they are good at something. Yes, there is a right and a wrong way to do it, but a child should never be made to feel embarrassed or be made to think they shouldn’t stand be able to say, “I’m good at ________.” Or “I am the best at _____________ in our class.” Or something else along those lines.
As a nanna, naturally I am going to share these things. But I shouldn’t be the only one. Our kids need to know that they don’t have to keep their achievements to themselves—that it is okay to take their turns to shine. After all, where would we be if Thomas Edison, Jonas Salk, Alexander Fleming, Mother Teresa, or countless other people kept their talents and abilities under wraps?
