My beast is a freshman this year. As if that isn’t just completely foreign enough, by week 4 she has joined a number of clubs/organizations to fill up all her, you know, free time. With pre-Ap and even an AP class, she just has so much of that. 😉 She originally was going try also be trying out for both the volleyball and basketball teams.  In a relatively small district (16,500 students) sports are a big enough deal that we were really excited for her to represent WHS on those courts. We’ve also invested a considerable amount of money in private lessons, tournament teams, equipment, etc. She wasn’t 100% excited about it, but knew that she wanted to do…something.
Late this summer she attended a basketball camp hosted by the high school coaches, including the girl’s varsity coach. One of the days, he pulled her aside afterwards to ask if she was going to be trying out for the high school team, that he was impressed with her energy and attitude, and was looking forward to working with her….that he saw something in her.
Ya’ll.
My beast is a good player…but she is by no means the best on the court. She hustles, mostly. She shoots, occasionally. We cheer her on, we support her and do all that we can to help build her up. But she came home that day and told me that she was dropping volleyball and going to be solely focused on basketball moving forward. She started asking her dad to come shoot with her, to help run her through dribble drills. His comments literally changed my teenager’s trajectory in high school. From her schedule, to the groups she’d be hanging with, to the energy she’d be expending…it all looked different from that moment.
 Incredible power that we have, isn’t it?
When you use your words…are you using that power for good? Do you realize the impact, the opportunity, that you have every single day?
I am hopeful that you do, because there are children everywhere who need to hear that someone believes in them, that they can see something in them. I am thankful that someone speaking to my precious beast, the one who made me a momma, recognized that power.
team momN,
Amber
Great illustration of the #powerofourwords. I have shared with school leaders that you have 2 choices each time you interact with another individual whether that be an adult or a child. You can BUILD THEM UP or you tear them down. Hopefully, we all choose our words for the former.