{"id":8848,"date":"2019-09-06T07:26:29","date_gmt":"2019-09-06T13:26:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.handsfreemama.com\/?p=8848"},"modified":"2019-09-06T07:43:14","modified_gmt":"2019-09-06T13:43:14","slug":"courage-please-step-forward-the-advantage-of-being-a-human-who-does-hard-things","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.handsfreemama.com\/2019\/09\/06\/courage-please-step-forward-the-advantage-of-being-a-human-who-does-hard-things\/","title":{"rendered":"Courage, Please Step Forward: The Advantage of Being a Human Who Does Hard Things"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\u201cMy friends on the cross-country team had to get up at 5am to go to their meet,\u201d my 16-year-old daughter said with admiration as we drove to breakfast on a recent Saturday. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s awesome when kids do things that are challenging,\u201d I said. \u201cJust think. Those kids could have slept in\u2026 had the whole day to do whatever they wanted\u2026 but instead, they did the hard thing and ran for their team.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
My comment prompted Natalie to share how she feels after participating in a Saturday swim meet. She described a sense of accomplishment that comes with sacrifice, effort, and dedication. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Natalie\u2019s beautiful disclosure caused me to blurt out a worry I\u2019d had for over a month. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m really anxious about speaking at the cat shelter fundraiser event,\u201d I admitted. \u201cThere will be so many people I know, and it\u2019s so much easier to present to strangers,\u201d I admitted. \u201cBut you just reminded me of something. Each time I choose to do something difficult or challenging for me, I always feel really good once when it\u2019s over.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I held my breath for a moment knowing that out of my two children, Natalie is typically not the one I confide such things in. Avery, my 13-year-old, is more apt to want to hear vulnerable admissions and troubleshoot with me. But if there\u2019s one thing I\u2019ve learned over the past year, it\u2019s that our kids need to see us as human and hear the coping strategies we use to do hard things. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI totally get that,\u201d Natalie said in response to my confession. \u201cLike when I have to do a presentation in Spanish class. It hard for me to stand up there and know I\u2019m going to make mistakes, but every single time I do it, I feel more confident.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After a moment of contemplation, Natalie said, \u201cI know you\u2019re going to do great at the fundraiser, Mom.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n