How I Trained My Daughters to Amplify Their Voices to Heard and Felt

“If you don’t feel like you’re screaming, you’re not loud enough.”

I shouted this to my 11 and 9-year-old daughters as we drove down the freeway with the windows rolled down. They were in the back seat of our old run-down Honda Civic, so it was especially noisy.

My girls were invited to perform their poems again this weekend. In preparation, I wanted to make sure that everyone in the room could hear them. I decided to experiment with the training.

Their voices matter.

They were small, but I also knew they could amplify their voices much more despite their age and stature. Their stories and experiences need to be heard and felt.

“I can’t hear you, baby.”

The wind was blowing in their faces, but they obliged me by amplifying their voices. They trusted me.

Raising children is challenging.

Ask any parent, and they will make sure to let you know. But raising young ladies brings another set of complications. My girls’ voices will always be heard no matter what the world tells them. These are the long-term lessons I was trying to teach.

I no longer have to tell them to speak up to be heard. Although, I do miss them shouting on the freeway. Those were fun drives.

-

Read this and many more essays on being a better father and human on Teevee.mx.