Introduction:

Intro Music Tasha – Welcome to the Little Shot Podcast where big dreams begin with little shots like you. I’m your host, Tasha Eizinger, author of The Little Shot picture book series, and I will be interviewing the main characters in The Little Shot books. They are all excited to share their stories with you, my friend! I have loved doing these interviews because you will get to hear some of the back stories that couldn’t be shared in the books.

This is the place where we talk about big dreams, character values, and what it takes to shine bright in this world. Whether you’re a kid or a grown-up, this podcast is for you. So, bring us along on your car ride, snuggle up with your favorite blanket, or get comfy in your classroom as we dive in to today’s episode.

Tasha – Today’s episode is based on the second book in the Little Shot series called The Little Shot Humility. Humility is staying grounded by remembering what it took to become successful. To learn more about living with humility, we have an incredible guest. She’s small yet mighty, she’s determined, and she shines bright in the night sky. Please welcome Little Shot.

Little Shot  – Hi friends, I’m so excited to be back. Um, I have some stories to share about something tricky I had to learn.

Tasha – The experience you will talk about today had to have been a bit confusing to get through. Before we talk about the details, let’s remind our friends that you had a dream of becoming a big shot, also known as a shooting star. You learned how to pursue that dream with courage, and then you became a big shot. We discuss that journey in more detail on our courage episode.

Little Shot – I have so much fun sharing about how I became a big shot, and I hope it inspires other kids to go for their dreams, too.

Interview:

Tasha – I also hope it inspires them. I’m curious, since you’re a big shot, why do you still go by the name Little Shot?

Little Shot – It’s important to always remember where we come from and what we learned to become who we are today.

Tasha – Okay, so I’m curious why you want to discuss humility, since it sounds like you understood it from the beginning of your big shot experience.

• SOUND Tasha interactive – Hey friends, that’s you, the one listening to this podcast. What is something hard that you figured out how to do? Was it riding your bike? Doing a back handspring? Writing in cursive? I want you to remember how you felt after you figured it out. What did you say and do? * SOUND

Tasha – Little Shot, let’s go back to the morning after you woke up from your first night as a big shot.

Little Shot – Well, I noticed everyone was complimenting me. People said I was the best shooting star ever, and my pride started creeping in on me. I didn’t even realize it at first. I thought by keeping my name the same would be enough to keep humility in my heart, to not become arrogant.

Tasha – Humility. That’s a big word. What does humility mean to you?

Little Shot – Humility is staying grounded and remembering what it took to become successful. It means you remember why you’re doing what you’re doing, all your hard work, and you understand your success didn’t happen only because of you… others helped you get there.

Tasha – Interesting. We will come back to how to practice humility, but I want to explore the ways you noticed you were not being humble.

Little Shot – Because of all the compliments, instead of feeling them in my heart and being grateful, I started believing I was more important than everybody else. I stopped spending time with my closest friend, and I was around new friends who kept telling me how cool I am. I stopped helping around in the house. I wasn’t acting like myself.

Tasha – Hearing this makes me believe the success of becoming a big shot, while it is special and wonderful, had to have been a confusing time of how to handle that success.

• SOUND Tasha interactive – Hey friends, have you ever gotten compliments that made you believe you were better than others? Compliments are supposed to encourage us and to fill our hearts. Every person is special, not just the person getting compliments.                 * SOUND

Tasha – Little Shot, how does this time period make you feel?

Little Shot – I feel badly I behaved this way. I didn’t mean to hurt anyone and even made it a point to apologize to my dear friend and my parents. Even though what I did wasn’t on purpose, I still hurt them through my words, actions, and inactions, so it was important to apologize to them.

Tasha – We all make mistakes, Little Shot, and I respect you for recognizing that you hurt your loved ones and wanted to make it right between you. You didn’t pretend like everything was okay when it wasn’t. You faced what you did wrong by taking responsibility and apologizing from your heart.

Little Shot – I learned to make sure I’m being sincere because at one point I was faking humility and it didn’t feel good. So there’s no way I want to apologize because I’m supposed to. I want to apologize because I feel it in my heart.

Tasha – Thank you for being so honest with all of us. It’s important to speak from our heart.

• SOUND Tasha interactive – Hey friends, is there someone you have hurt recently? Even if you didn’t mean to, it’s important to apologize from your heart. Say I’m sorry and what you did that was hurtful. Make it clear that you feel badly for what you did and that you want to make things right. Sometimes people aren’t ready to accept an apology right away. That’s okay. Give them space to feel their feelings. Let’s practice an apology together. Say it aloud. I’m sorry that I… What are you sorry about? Go ahead and say it now. I feel so badly because… Is it because this person means a lot to you or you knew what you did was wrong? In the future, I will… What will you do differently next time? Let’s put it all together. I’m sorry that I… I feel so badly because… In the future, I will. Great job, friends. * SOUND

Tasha – Little Shot, I know that before you apologized, you visited your sweet grandma.

Little Shot – Yeah, she’s a great listener and is patient, so I felt comfortable talking with her about everything going on.

Tasha – So you went to her home and directly told her what was wrong and she gave you solutions?

Little Shot – No, I couldn’t even talk. The moment I saw her, I started sobbing uncontrollably.

Tasha – I’m glad you felt comfortable to show that side of yourself because crying is important. It’s not a sign of weakness like some people think. Did she ever tell you to stop crying?

Little Shot – No, she hugged me and hummed her favorite song until I was done. She also listened to everything I had to say without interrupting. Just crying and talking about what I was going through helped me feel better.

Tasha – You have such a sweet, loving grandma. Did she offer any advice?

Little Shot – Once I calmed down, she asked me why I became a big shot, and I told her that I wanted to give people hope when they wish upon a shooting star. She reminded me that I needed to remember my purpose and focus on gratitude.

Tasha – So your purpose was to give others hope, and feeling gratitude helped you stay humble?

Little Shot – Exactly. She also taught me something that really helped me calm down that I want to teach my friends.

Tasha – Sure, please do.

Little Shot – It may seem so simple, friends, but it works. We can be so overwhelmed or upset that we feel like a balloon ready to pop. We have to let out some of the air from the balloon. I want all my friends to imagine holding a balloon that’s about ready to pop in their hands. This is like a magic balloon because it’s not tight and the air doesn’t come out without us making it happen.

Tasha – What color is our balloon supposed to be?

Little Shot – Oh, it doesn’t matter. Pick your favorite color. Okay. Is everyone holding their balloon in their hands in front of them?

Tasha – I am.

Little Shot – Great. Next we are going to take a deep breath in and then sigh. When we sigh, some of the air is going to leave the balloon so it’s not ready to pop. Let’s do it together. Three, two, one. Doesn’t that make you feel just a little bit better?

Tasha – Actually, it does!

Little Shot – Let’s do it again. Three, two, one. Every time we do this, our balloon has a little less air in it, so it’s not ready to pop. This helps calm our body so we feel safer and we can use our brains better.

Tasha – Thank you for teaching this to us.

• SOUND Tasha interactive – Hey friends, Little Shot has shared several things that help her feel better, like crying, humming, a hug, talking to a trusted adult who will listen, deep breathing, and visualizing her balloon. What helps you calm down? Is it listening to music and dancing, journaling, screaming into a pillow, going for a run? It’s important to know what helps you feel better.  * SOUND

Tasha – Little Shot, I know you also like to keep a journal to help you.

Little Shot – I do enjoy journaling. I hope our friends are adding their Big Shot journal after our episodes so that they can see what they’re learning. I write down five key things I learn in each book. In book two, it’s about living with humility.

Tasha – Yes, your journal is at the back of each book. If our friends listening don’t have a book, that’s okay. They can get your journal page at www.thelittleshot.com/kids to print it off and color it.

Little Shot – They can also create their own page with a blank piece of paper and whatever they want to write with.  There will be journal ideas at the end of this episode.

Tasha – Great idea! I’m sure our friends are creative. Thank you so much for being here today, Little Shot! I am certain you have inspired whoever is listening wherever they are.

Little Shot  – Thank you for having me, Tasha! I had fun! Remember, friends, if I can go for my dreams while living with humility, so can you.

Tasha – I enjoyed learning from you today, Little Shot, thank you, again, for being here. 

Closing:

Tasha –

SOUND And thank you, friends, for joining us today! Remember, every Big Shot started out as a Little Shot. Keep believing, keep practicing, and keep shining your light. Stay tuned after the brief ad to get your Big Shot journal questions and to hear tips for grown-ups.

Did you know at the back of every Little Shot book there is a Big Shot journal page? It’s a coloring page for the copy you have at home. Please don’t color the one at your local library! If you can’t write down the Journal questions right now, you can access them at thelittleshot.com/kids. If you’re not able to write answers, that’s okay! Draw a picture instead.

What is one thing you learned today that you want to try this week? You could journal about one or all 3 of these things:

1. How do you want to live with humility? Is it thanking people who have helped you get where you are today? Is it reflecting on some of the mistakes you have made and what you learned from them?

2. Who is someone you can talk to when life is too much? Why did you choose that person?

3. What are some things that help you calm down when you feel overwhelmed? You could turn your list into a poster for your room to remind you the next time you feel overwhelmed.

You can answer 1 or all of 3 of those in your journal by writing about it or drawing a picture. Don’t want to put it on paper? You can talk about it with someone you trust. Every small step takes you closer to becoming a Big Shot!

SOUND Tasha – Hey, grown-ups! Here are 2 quick thoughts for you whether you are a parent, grandparent, or educator:

Number 1: When we are in a hurry with all things life, it’s so easy to brush off a kid’s emotions and go on to the next thing. Do what you can in the moment to make children feel safe and loved, and you can revisit it later if it wasn’t enough time. Don’t forget to revisit the situation. It’s so important for children to be seen. heard, safe, and loved, so they can grow up into adults who know they are worthy of being seen, heard, safe, and loved.

Number 2: Practice naming emotions throughout your week together. You can find emotion charts and wheels online so you can move beyond just saying happy, sad, mad, etc. There’s a big difference between feeling annoyed, mad, and enraged. The more clearly we can name our emotions, the more we can deal with what we are facing. You can even make it a game by labeling emotions from books you’re reading, shows you’re watching, and in your day-to-day life.

SOUND Tasha – This episode is brought to you by… well, it could be YOU! This episode is a sneak peak into the entire podcast series. The podcast is going to be aired weekly for a full year as I interview the main characters on the topics of each book. Plus, there will be a special interview of a character in the The Little Shot: Wisdom and extra episodes with Little Shot on important topics ranging from emotions to critical thinking skills. If you are interested in being a sponsor, email tasha@thelittleshot.com T-A-S-H-A@thelittleshot.com for more information. SOUND

Tasha – Thank you for listening to today’s episode! To access more free resources, please go to thelittleshot.com/kids. If you liked this episode, please share it with a friend, family member, teacher, or someone who needs some hope.

Until next time, I’m Tasha Eizinger, author of The Little Shot series, keep your chin up, your heart open, and your dreams soaring. 3… 2… 1… WISHHHH   Outro Music