Jane and her father, Mike, owned a secondhand boat. They called it “High Hopes.” The two loved to spend time together on the ocean and would often go on long fishing trips.

Mike taught Jane how to perform important tasks. Jane learned how to steer the boat and adjust the sails. She learned how to put grease on the intricate gears of the motor. She learned how to submerge the anchor and secure it by putting a rope in a slot. Jane liked helping her father, but she thought that she wasn’t very good at it. Sometimes, she omitted important steps and made frequent mistakes. Jane thought she wasn’t capable of manual labor.

Mike wanted to prove to her that she was indeed capable and important. He thought of a tactic to test Jane’s skills in the context of a catastrophe. He hid under the deck and pretended to be trapped. He shouted, “Jane, I can’t get out! You have to get back to the dock and find help!”

Jane began to panic. She thought she might make her usual mistakes, which would precipitate a disaster. However, she had to listen to her dad and act accordingly. She pulled up the anchor with all of her might. She remembered to overlap the sails to offset the wind. She steered the boat around buoys where the water was shallow. When they got to shore, Mike came out from under the deck.

Jane said, “I thought you were trapped!”

Mike laughed. He said, “It wasn’t a genuine emergency. I distorted the truth to test your abilities. Look at what a great job you did getting the boat home safely! I knew you could do it.”

To honor his daughter, Mike decided to rename his boat. He designated it “Jane’s Pride” and painted the name on the fore of the ship. Jane finally had something to be proud of.