It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are. — E.E. Cummings
What does the word courage mean to you? The dictionary, or in my world, the Google search bar, gives me the following definition: “the ability to do something that frightens one.” I am totally being courageous right now just by typing this post. Yep, I’m new to this gig and I know that everyone reading this will nod their heads and secretly think, “yep, poor gal has no clue what she’s doing.” But I’m doing it anyway.
To be quite honest, I’m not writing this post to focus on my courage, but to actually write about something more substantial. I’m a mom (oh great, here comes the mom of two kids, a dog, work from home, blah, blah, blah speech). Yes, I’m a mom of two boys and we have a dog. No, I do not work from home. I have a full-time career outside of the home. Now that it’s out in the open, let’s continue with the important stuff.
Cliche alert: being a mom is the hardest job I will ever have. I get some very tough questions from my kids, like, “how do you get to heaven,” and, “what does God look like?” The list goes on. Not only are there tough questions, but there are some tough situations we all encounter as well. My kids are athletes and they enjoy karate and baseball. When first starting these sports journeys, both boys were not eager to participate, especially in front of a room full of parents or bleachers full of fans. They were scared, worried about what people would think and terrified that they would not do well. The normal emotions that most humans experience when faced with an audience.
As their mom, I would struggle with finding the “write words” to say to them in their time of need. I wanted whatever I said to them to be perfect and make it all better. So much pressure, right?! Do I tell them there is nothing to worry about? Do I tell them to be brave? Do I tell them to suck it up and do it anyway? I actually tried all of those things, but always felt I was coming up short in the advise department. I needed something better.
So I turned to my BFF for advice. Google is my BFF when it comes to researching what to do’s, how to do’s, and where to go’s. I searched and searched for advice on things to say to your kids when faced with something scary. The writing was on the wall, or the screen, over and over again and the theme was all about courage. Not just telling them to be courageous, but defining the word for them. I finally believed that I had gained the write definition for our situations.
So now, when faced with worry, doubt or fright, I tell my kiddos that I understand their feelings. I tell them that even if they are scared and do the thing anyway, that means they have courage. That is something they can be proud of and courage will help them grow into the person they are meant to be.
I have watched my kids be courageous when competing in front of an audience and judges during karate tournaments. My oldest son, now ten, has been competing in sport karate for three years. He has performed on a stage in front of hundreds of people more times than I can count. He does it all with poise and professionalism. Yes, that’s what I said, poise and professionalism. He is ten. I myself hate being in front of an audience, but my current career exposes me to it on a quarterly basis. My support, my inspiration, and my own courage comes from the example my son has set for me.
My youngest son had a fear of sparring and competing in dojo filled with parents and other students. After speaking to him numersous times about having courage and doing things even though you are afraid, his fear has morphed into excitement and adrenaline. He looks forward to the fight and it has been a privilege to watch him grow in confidence.
The same principle of being courageous has bled over into other sports, school projects and extracurricular activities. It makes my heart pound and my eyes fill with tears. I am so proud of them. It gives me courage to continue to be an advisor to them as they grow into young men.
The Write Words 