Becoming an advocate demonstrates confidence in your children.  It is important to understand what their strengths and weaknesses are.  An exercise to begin the process is the following.  Sit down and quiet your mind.  Visualize your child and ask yourself:  “What are my child’s strengths & weaknesses?”  “In what areas has she/he had success and failure?”  “What does he/she enjoy doing?”  “What does she/he dislike doing?”  Just sit quietly and notice what questions and answers come to mind. 

Then take a pad of paper and pencil, draw a line down the middle, and begin to list your child’s strengths and weaknesses.  You can invite your partner to participate.  He or she can go through the same process and then you can compare your answers.  Next, consult with your child.  Ask if it would be alright if you interviewed him/her.  You want to get to know your child better.  This is your agenda.  Ask the child the previous questions you asked yourself and write down their answers.  Advocating involves knowing.