The Courage of Children: Boston and Beyond XXXIII

LIVI MEEHAN
AMY ROJEK, TEACHER
Community Preparatory School, Providence, RI
It was around one when my dad picked me up from school. I had been
dreading this moment for weeks; it was finally time for my therapy meeting.
Normally, I like therapy meetings, but this one was different because this time,
I had to talk to my dad. The car ride was as awkward as ever. I thought about
things that could happen in that room. When I pictured the room, I saw a
dark, endless void instead of a cozy, warm light.
“Is there anything we need to discuss now, before we head inside?” my dad asked.
I looked up and realized that we had arrived; my stomach twisted and turned
as I replied with, “No.”
I could tell that even my dad was stressed as we rode the elevator. To be fair,
how could I blame him? He knew nothing about what was going on.
“FINDING COURAGE
CAN BE DIFFICULT, BUT
ONCE YOU FIND YOUR
VOICE AND SPEAK UP,
YOU SHOW PEOPLE
THAT YOU KNOW
YOU HAVE WORTH.”
that he will listen. He even opens up to me more now. Finding courage can be
difficult, but once you find your voice and speak up, you show people that you
know you have worth. Once you feel confident and courageous, people will
recognize you, especially people who care about you.
We arrived on the floor, and I saw another client step out of the therapist’s
room. She saw us and waved to come in. My heart was pounding as I stepped
in. My therapist asked if I wanted to start off talking, or if she should. “Could
you, please?” I replied, trying not to cry.
As she went on to talk to my dad, I thought of my mom’s words: “You need to
say how you feel and stand up for yourself.”
When my therapist paused, I knew it was my turn to share about the
relationship issues that had been making it hard to talk with my dad. Tears
started pouring down my face, and I tried to catch my breath. I couldn’t even
look over at him because I was worried about his reaction. I wondered what
he was thinking and feeling as I said these things; it made me even more sad.
I continued to go on, every word, another tear, every tear, another word. My
therapist could tell that if I went on more, I’d break, so she told me to take a
breath, and she’d continue.
This was scary, but it was probably the most defining moment in my life when
I displayed courage. To me, courage is having the strength to do something,
even if it’s scary, if you know it’s what you need to do to make something right.
Having this conversation allowed me to have a better relationship with my dad.
Now, I feel confident enough to talk to him when I have a problem, and I know
THE COURAGE OF CHILDREN: BOSTON AND BEYOND
VOLUME XXXIII
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