In his book, Better Days, Neil Allen describes what he playfully calls our parasite or superego. You know, that voice that tells you things are not enough, not good enough, and therefore you are not enough and not good enough so why bother trying? He explains how essential it is that we view that voice as separate from ourselves, so we can become critical consumers of the messages we receive. One strategy for doing so is to give your superego a name. I was talking to my friends Kelly Croy and Joe Miller the other day on The Wired Educator podcast, and I asked them what they would name their superegos. Kelly playfully remarked that he didn't know but it would be a bad name, haha. I love that! Anne Lamott calls her parasite, "The Governess."

So, please give a little extra love this week. Please try to extend a little grace. There are little hearts and minds who are worried about what will happen while they are away from school. Sometimes attention seeking behavior is actually connection seeking behavior. And an escalated adult cannot deescalate a child.

We must learn to be our own champions in that way. We must learn to love ourselves through the process of learning and evolving. Not only because we deserve that but also because it's important to model that kind of self-love for others. I truly believe that this is a strategy for changing the world.