I have always thought of Carmen as shy. Reserved. Contemplative. And I guess I’ve enabled her to opt out of things because I’ve thought of her as shy and made her think of herself that way too. I’ve worked to expose her to different situations, built her confidence with sports, and encouraged her so she wouldn’t be as painfully shy as I was when I was growing up. And it seems these efforts are starting to pay off.
I volunteered at her Museum School field trip last week – I had a group of four kids (including Carmen) and we wandered the Glenbow Museum, examined artefacts, sketched exhibits, and talked about the stories these objects told. It also gave me the chance to watch Carmen interact with her classmates and participate in discussions in a way that I never have before. It’s an understatement to say that I was surprised at what I saw.
She was opinionated but not obnoxiously so. She threw her hand in the air when questions were posed by the guides and teachers. She was assertive yet respectful, had fun and soaked up information, and even put on a play for the rest of the class to show what a particular pioneer artefact was for and she did so without hesitation or serious nerves. That would have crippled the 7-year-old me!
Carmen is still a bit quiet in class (which I’m good with) and watches what is happening around her before jumping in (again, that’s okay by me), but she is also an active, eager member of the group who isn’t afraid to express what she thinks or feels. As it turns out, she isn’t me after all. She’s way smarter, more confident, and prettier than I ever was. And I couldn’t be prouder.
