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I asked groups of teens this week, what are all of your hopes and dreams? What
is everything that you ever wanted? Friends? Love? Happiness? Job security? See the world? What do you ultimately want out of life?
Why was I asking such a deep question? I wanted to know which teens were too constrained by anxiety to achieve what they want out of life. Which ones avoid what is difficult instead of powering through? I asked them to imagine with me...
Imagine this. You are on one side of a bridge. The bridge is literally the scariest, most unstable thing you've ever seen. It's made of rope, it's crossing a huge crevasse that is 500 feet deep with sharp rocks and alligators on the bottom. Slats are missing, the rope looks threadbare and it is always windy. There is no safety harness, no helicopter, and no buddy to hang onto for support. It's you and you alone on one end of the rickety bridge. You can't even see the other side as the bridge heads straight into the foggy unknown. But you know that on the other side is everything you've ever wanted. All your hopes and dreams are on the other side. All. Of. Them. So the question is...
Do you cross?
Do you face your fears? Do you hand over hand your way over that scary bridge not knowing if you are going to make it? Or do you turn away and succumb to fear and uncertainty and accept that you will not achieve your life dreams? Some teen hands shot right up, they would hop right on and go for it. Others asked about a way around. Others wondered why it was so precarious a trip. The bottom line is we never know what's going to come our way. We don't know what obstacles we are going to have to overcome. What we do know is that if we don't find our way to bravery, the dreams will not be realized. Everything we've ever wanted will dissipate just like the fog on the far end of that bridge. We need to encourage them to hop on and start the journey. We need to give them the tools to talk themselves through each difficult step. The journey may not be easy, but each step they take will embolden them to take the next one.
AND OUR LATEST BOOK IS NOW AVAILABLE ON AMAZON.COM ...
Donna Shea and Nadine Briggs are both accomplished social-emotional education specialists. They each facilitate friendship groups at their respective centers in Massachusetts. Both Donna and Nadine are parents of children with special needs.
Donna and Nadine offer consultation services for schools, parent groups, and human service agencies. They are seasoned public speakers who travel across the country to bring workshops and seminars to schools, conferences and other venues.
Donna and Nadine are certified in bullying prevention through the Massachusetts Aggression Reduction Center and are creators of the How to Make & Keep Friends Social Success in School Bullying Prevention Initiative that is used to provide classroom training and team-building activities at many schools.
Donna and Nadine would love to hear from you or your child if you have feedback about our books. They are also happy to speak with you about providing programming for children in your local area or just to keep in touch with you about new books and materials.
