Making Eye Contact

A couple of weeks ago Alyssa was asked to give a talk in Primary. As usual I wrote her talk. A good portion of it I used pictures for her to hold up and wrote what needed to be said on the back. Right before church she was sitting on my bed practicing her talk with Elliott....I thought nothing of this. Elliott told her it is important to make eye contact when giving a talk. She told me while I was fixing her hair that she no one makes eye contact when they are giving their talks because they are too nervous but I will make eye contact even if I get nervous.....

I am sitting in the back of the Primary room next to Elliott to be the supportive parents that we are. Alyssa gets up there and begins her talk. Then the weirdness begins.....

After every sentence she stops reading, looks up and moves her head from left to right scanning the room, then looks right back down to read the next sentence to, stop reading, look up, and then look left to right....she repeats this. Elliott was so proud of her for looking up. But I could not help but hold in laughter that tears wear running down my face because can we say "AWKWARD". Elliott told me he taught her to look up. Then when she got to the pictures she would hold it up, read it, move it side to side, then scan the room with her eyes..."awkward". Elliott was also proud of her because he taught her how to move the picture from side to side so every one could see.

She was so brave and really did a good job....thanks to her BIG Dad! Kylee had her turn today to give a talk...lets just say I did the coaching this time.....she did great.