Parenting Fail Turned Lesson: Safe to Be Weird

Safe to Be Weird — Even in Parenting Yesterday, I had one of those moments where my mouth moved faster than my heart. My son was dragging his feet in the morning, and in my frustration, I blurted out: “Stop being weird.” The look on his face said it all. I hadn’t just told him to hurry up. I’d made him feel like being himself was wrong. And that’s not what I believe at all. So I backed up. I said, "I'm sorry." And I told him the truth: weird isn’t bad. Weird is wonderful. Honestly, I’ve built a whole career out of being professionally awkward. Here’s the bigger lesson: sometimes leadership - whether at home, on stage, or in business — isn’t about having the perfect words. It’s about owning the imperfect ones, making the repair, and showing the people around you that being authentic matters more than being flawless. Unsolicited advice: don’t be afraid to apologize to your kids, your colleagues, or yourself. It doesn’t make you weak. It makes you real. What’s a time you’ve had to pause, apologize, and reframe? I’d love to hear how you turned a “fail” into connection. For the full story (and more of my parenting missteps-turned-lessons), check out this week’s Standing in Your Spotlight on Substack: https://open.substack.com/pub/missshannanpaul/p/safe-to-be-weird-even-when-mom-misspeaks?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=1la2s2