EXPERIMENT WITH SPEAKING UP

Both my kids are still doing school on Zoom and one of them is really exhausted with it. She told me she feels almost sick to her stomach being in class sometimes. She is overwhelmed by the amount of school work assigned. [Here is a tip, parents: ask questions. Be a coach!]

I asked her to tell me more and she told me a specific class she has a hard time following the teacher's instructions. She said she wouldn't ask because she doesn't want to sound stupid. I asked her if she's willing to give it a try just once and see what happens.

EXPERIMENT, I told her. Be brave. Try it out. See how it feels.

Later she came to me with a bright face and said she did it. What's more, the teacher thanked her for asking the question. I said - I bet you helped other kids who like you, didn't want to put themselves out there. This made her feel good. She beamed "you think I helped other kids?". "You bet you did!" I said.

No matter what age we are, we all hesitate to speak up sometimes. We're all afraid to expose ourselves. We all cave in sometimes.

The only way to become more assertive IS to experiment. To try it out. See how it feels.

I'm willing to bet that 99% of the time, you may find that you emerge the other side with a smile on your face, proud of yourself, and willing to do it again.