Thursday, October 13, 2011

You're Better



I've always been a confident girl. In fact, I was called "Gary" in college by a group of guys who thought I was as cocky as the NBA Seattle SuperSonics guard, Gary Payton. This cracks me up for two reasons. #1 -  I had no idea who Gary Payton was at the time and #2 -  I think this was the first time these boys ever met a confident girl. And I have my parents, especially my dad to thank for that. He quietly, mostly without words, reminded me every day that I was better. When you hear that word better it immediately draws a comparison. Who am I better than? Did I walk around school trying to prove to everyone that I was better than them? Nope. This wasn't how he used it. He told me I was better than:

  • talking behind my friend's backs.
  • talking negatively about a teacher or coach.
  • being silly or playing dumb so boys would think I was cute.
  • dressing in a way to attract attention to my body.
  • not trying my best at everything I did. School, athletics, music, plays. His attitude was, give it your all, all the time.
  • fighting with my sisters.
  • not respecting my grandparents.
  • not including someone because my feelings had been hurt before by him or her.
So for all you grandpas, dads, husbands and uncles, remind your girls that they're better. They're better than accepting anything less than the best treatment from the world, the media and their relationships.