Three of my kids are about to take the ACT. So we've been chatting about that lately. Our school is offering a practice test a few days before the actual test. The announcement for this pretest was in the sophomore newsletter. I was talking to my junior daughter about possibly taking that practice test also. Her response?
Mom, it's for sophomores. My response to her response?
Go ahead and ask. The worst they can say is "no."
Really, what does she have to lose? The worst the counselor would say is, "No, it's for sophomores only. I'm sorry." Then she'd probably follow that with words that commend my junior daughter for coming and checking, for trying to take advantage of every opportunity. Or, because she asked, the answer might be "yes," and she would gain something valuable - test practice!
There's something empowering about knowing what the worst outcome could be. If you're prepared for that, then getting the opposite is even double the treat. It's a bit of a nice surprise, plus, you feel proud of yourself for having had the courage to ask.
As I finish this post, I do need to mention one caveat for you parents - parents of teenagers in particular. Your teenager will
probably turn around and ask of you what you have encouraged them to ask of others. My senior son is most known for this in our house. He'll ask to do something that we've denied in the past. When we question why he does this, knowing we've said no to this once already, he'll say, "Well, the worst you could say is "no." Can't fault a teenager for trying.
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| The master questioner |
So, a slight risk if these words reach the ears of your kids. Even though I know this risk, I think the potential reward is worth it. I guess I could ask you all what you think. Is it worth it? The worst you could say is "no."
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