Keeping Your Cool

 By:  Ada Z.

        As a parent to three, very opinionated children, I have learned that it is not always easy to keep my cool.  Somehow, despite my own battles with shyness, I managed to create children who are outgoing, funny, and who are leaders amongst their peers.  

        When I had my first child, I promised myself that I would show my kids how to be strong and outgoing in social situations.  I put my social anxiety aside and did not let them see how truly scared I was to speak in front of people or make a fool out of myself.  

        Little did I know that this would backfire on me once they hit a certain age.  I had created monsters.  Don't get me wrong, they are amazing kids who do well in school and are good to their friends.  However, they have very strong opinions about EVERYTHING and they are not afraid to speak their minds.  I know that this will pay off in the real world when they are grown but for me as a mom, it is a challenge, to say the least.

        Every day I am faced with a different battle.  From wanting to wear shorts on a snowy day to why they deserve a second dessert.  And every day I have to take a deep breath and keep my cool. 

        Keeping your cool is important in every aspect of life.  You may have to hold back from cursing at the driver who cut you off on the highway while your kids are in the car. You have to try not to yell at the person in the grocery store who leaves their cart in the middle of the aisle so that you can't pass.  You might have picked the wrong checkout line and now you're behind the person who is questioning every price and has a coupon for everything.

        In the situation of starting our podcast, we had to keep our cool when we began receiving criticism regarding our shows.  We are not polished professionals and we are completely aware of that.  We learn and grow with each and every show that we do.  Despite our amateur status, we still received criticism right off the bat from fellow podcasters and even from people we know.  

        Although it's never easy to hear the harsh truths about something you've worked so hard on, it's important to listen and take it all in.  Learn from it and grow from it...And if they're just being mean...keep your cool.