As a little girl, I loved to sing, my favorite song being “Let it Go” from the movie Frozen. I would sing it loudly and proudly, even if I was off tune.

My voice was slowly silenced over time because others were telling me “you’re being too loud.” I silenced my voice because I feared that I wouldn’t fit in or that no one would like me. 

Kids should be taught that it’s OK to be yourself, that it’s OK to be loud and proud about who you are and how you feel. 

Instead, kids are taught that they have to conform to social norms. 

We teach kids that they have to fit into a perfect little box, and that if you go outside the lines by even a smidge, you will be labeled as less than. Therefore, kids are hiding their true selves and are living in fear of being seen as less than by the community. 

Kids are being told that they can be anything. Yet in a world where you can be anything, if you don’t choose a life from a list of approved careers, you won’t amount to anything. 

A future artist, told that their masterpieces are not as beautiful as they see them. A future model was told that they were never going to make it to a photo shoot. A future actor was told they would never be in a movie. 

In turn, they believe that their dreams are no longer something to strive for. 

According to Psychology Today, 92% of people never achieve their goals, which means that only 8% of people turn their dreams into a reality.

In today’s society, we are allowing kids to settle for less than what they could achieve, and instead of addressing the issue, we blow past it because we’ve settled. 

I do not want to settle any longer. I will not silence my voice. I won’t allow myself to confine myself into a perfect box. 

No longer coloring inside the lines, we need to scribble outside of them to push for expression. 

To step outside the box and do it proudly and loudly.