You Don't Have to Perform
For the you who's always watching the room — seven things you don't have to do anymore.
Someone spent twenty years with over two hundred children and reached one simple conclusion:
The kids with high emotional intelligence aren't the "well-behaved" ones. They are simply the ones who don't have to pretend in front of the adults.
Here are seven things you don't have to do anymore.
· You don't have to hide what you feel. Saying "I'm a bit tired" is easier than throwing something.
· You don't have to act like everything is fine. When something is wrong, you can tell an adult you trust.
· You don't have to win. Being disappointed can be a cry, a pause, and then coming back.
· You can notice how other people feel. That's not being nosy — it's a gift.
· You can say sorry — and you can be forgiven. Everyone is still learning this one.
· You can ask for what you need. "I want a hug." "I want a minute alone." There is nothing shameful in this.
· You don't have to perform for adults. Their mood is not your responsibility.
You don't have to fold yourself smaller to be the version adults want.
What we see is the real you. Just like this, you are already enough.
from Reem Raouda