Pushing Past Limits: Why I Make My Daughter Compete in Public Speaking

At The Ag Mom, we talk a lot about ranch life, raising kids with grit, and teaching them the value of hard work. Today, I want to share something a little more personal — our journey with public speaking and why, even though it's hard, I keep signing Savannah up to compete.

Savannah has a speech impediment. It's a real, physical challenge. It makes public speaking harder than it already is — and let’s be honest, even without a speech challenge, public speaking terrifies most adults, much less kids. But I refuse to let her hide from her limitations. More importantly, I refuse to let her special needs define her.

So I sign her up. For every public speaking contest I can find, I sign her name on the dotted line.

Public speaking competitions are brutal. Points are deducted if you haven't memorized your entire speech. If you don't make enough eye contact? Points off. If you don't move around the stage naturally? Points off again. After you deliver your speech, you don't just get to sit down and breathe — you’re grilled with questions by the judges. They expect more than one-word answers. They expect you to know your topic inside and out and be able to talk about it confidently.

And after all that? You sit. You watch the other kids compete. You wait for the awards ceremony.

It’s exhausting. It's nerve-wracking. And it’s absolutely necessary.

This year, Savannah’s speech was titled "Kids with Special Needs in Agriculture."It’s a topic that's close to her heart — because it’s her story. And she’s allowed to stick with this topic every year if she wants, or she can choose something new. The decision is hers. But one thing is not up for debate: She will compete.Even if she comes in dead last, Savannah will know that she can stand on a stage.That she can hold a microphone.That she can be heard.

I don’t expect her road to be easy.I do expect her to walk it with her head held high.

Helping Savannah grow isn’t about making life easier for her. It’s about preparing her for the life she’s meant to live — strong, capable, and unafraid to speak her truth, even when her voice shakes.

Because at the end of the day, it’s not about trophies. It’s about teaching her — and showing others — that our challenges don't get the final word. We do.

Always in her corner