Day Seven (of Seven)

I frequently use writing prompts in my teaching and coaching. In fact, when the pandemic lockdown began in the Northeast, I had a regular weekly group and later developed a course under the umbrella of Prompted Expression. In the spirit of sparking my own creativity and getting ideas for my students and clients, I’ve decided to write from a prompt for seven consecutive days and share the results. The prompts are from a deck of cards called Actually Curious.

Writing Prompt Seven: What’s one thing you would change about the way you were raised?

I don’t think there’s much that’s more important than nurturing self-esteem in a child. It sets the tone for everything else to come.

I was raised by two people I think the world of. They consider their children their biggest accomplishment in life. But neither of them has self-esteem worth a damn.

So do the math.

There’s so much I’ve learned in adulthood about this topic. How insidious it is. How withering criticism can be. How it impacts what you think you deserve. How it breeds a bit of paranoia about others’ intent. How it tamps down dreams and lowers expectations.

In the late 1990s and early 2000s I explored this in therapy. It was life-altering. I had to grow my confidence, be comfortable and then some with my life choices instead of…