What I’ve Learned from My Daughter Emily

I remember the first time I ever laid eyes on my daughter Emily. With big, beautiful blue eyes, she was a little scene stealer that totally captivated me. I saw her a few minutes ago as she left for work. Some things? They just never change.

Like her father and sisters, Emily has taught me many things, but the one lesson she teaches most with her life is the importance of confidence.

I’ve seen Emily’s confidence in herself shake only twice in her life. Once, right before taking her ACT (she inherited her mother’s math skills…so, that was understandable) and once before taking her driving test (again, we’re going to lay this one at her mom’s lead feet). She breezed through the driver’s test and got an amazing score on her ACT.

When Em was just 7 years old, our church began putting together a huge Christmas play. There would be a little singing an A LOT of dialogue. The lead role (a girl) would have an unbelievable number of lines to memorize. That’s why, when the Pastor’s wife (who had taught Emily in Sunday School) approached her about the role, I thought, “Are you out of your pretty head, my baby’s only 7!” However when asked if she’d like to have the lead role, even though it called for a girl a few years older, my baby smiled and said, “Yes, Ma’am, I’d love to.”

When asked if she thought she could remember a lot of lines, she said, “No problem. I have a really good memory.”

What made it seem even bolder, to me, was the fact that since we homeschooled, Emily had never even been to a play, let alone been in one, let alone starred in one.

Later that night, when we were looking over the script for the play - as we thumbed through the pages, I knew exactly what she was doing along the way. She was counting her lines and getting more and more excited as the number rose.

My eyes were widening with a “What have you gotten yourself into?” look, while hers were widening with an “I. Am. The. Star.” gaze.

Whenever my confidence gets iffy or I start to doubt my abilities in any way, I think back to a little girl up on stage nailing not only every single one of her own lines, but helping people three times her size with theirs.

Emily is the sort of person who refuses to put limits on herself. She could be the spokesperson for the quote, “If you think you can, you’re right and if you think you can’t, you’re right again.” She has always had the ability to find a way or make a way, and it never ceases to amaze me. It also inspires me to do the same. While I’d never even attempt such a thing as a play (it’s not a lack of confidence so much as it is simply knowing myself, I’d get the giggles and ruin the whole thing) - I do try to believe more in myself and in my abilities. After all, if an individual doesn’t believe in themself, who will?!

After the play, I remember Emily’s younger sister (by 13 months) Brittany saying, “I didn’t know she could remember ALL those words.” She wasn’t the only one. I’m pretty sure there was only one person in the whole auditorium who was 110 percent sure each line would be flawless. And she was taking a curtain call.

The Poster above reads: Can’t - Eliminate this word! Stop thinking of things you can’t do and start thinking you can. It’s important to eliminate negatives from your vocabulary, especially the word can’t. When you begin to think positively, you’ll find yourself attempting and succeeding at more things. Remember by eliminating the negatives you’ll let the positives come through.

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