03/08/2023
As some of you may already know, our approach at CLAP is very much an extension of my childhood and upbringing, influenced by the incredible women I’ve been surrounded with. Last International Women’s Day, I shared several stories about them. Today, I am very excited to share more as we celebrate International Women’s Day once again. 💖
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I still recall the first time I slept over at my Grandma Amy’s home as a little girl… “I can’t sleep because there are ghosts and monsters” I said as I ran into Grandma Amy’s room in the middle of the night after struggling to fall asleep.
The conversation that followed went something like this:
Grandma: Well Laura, did you do anything mean to the ghosts and monsters that would make them want to hurt you?
Me: No, I wouldn’t ever do anything mean to anyone or any ghosts or monsters.
Grandma: Exactly, then you don’t have to worry. Instead of running away in fear, stand up tall and strong to face them head on and call them out saying “hey you, I’m not scared of you. Why are you visiting me? Can I help you with anything?”
After we practiced saying that out loud several times, I quickly fell asleep. Thank you, Grandma Amy, for teaching me the importance of being brave and facing my fears. 💪🏽
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“I know you can figure it out.” – The answer that my mom has always given whenever I couldn’t figure out the solution to a problem, whether it was homework or scenarios in my daily life. Instead of providing me with a solution directly, my mom would ask me different questions to get me to think outside of the box and guide me through the problem-solving process so that I can come up with the solution myself.
That sentence of "I know you can figure it out" would also provide me with the little confidence boost I needed when feeling stuck. 9 times out of 10, the lightbulb in my head would go off as soon as I hear my mom say that to me.
Thank you, mom, for helping me to develop my creative problem-solving skills and teaching me the power of empowering others.
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