I like to write about my toddler, who is not actually a toddler anymore but a strapping young lad of four. When he started school, he came home crying, utterly devastated, because he did not know how to sit “criss-cross apple sauce.” All of the other kids knew, but he didn’t. When I tried to show him, he got even more upset. “No, Mama! That’s WRONG!” He was inconsolable. He seemed to feel doomed—like he would never get it. Whoa. Can you imagine feeling so scared and alone over something so simple as how to cross your legs?

It reminded me of how new he is to so many things, and how new things can be scary. Can you relate? I know I can.

Here’s my takeaway:

1. We ALL don’t know stuff. Lots of stuff.

2. It’s okay not to know.

3. When you don’t know, ask for help. It is there. When you do this, not only do you acquire a skill or approach or piece of knowledge you didn’t have before, you strengthen your resources. You can share your knowledge. More people benefit. (It’s the Circle of Life, people. Cue the Lion King music.) By contrast, when you refuse to try something because you don’t know, you limit your own power. Think of a time when you didn’t know but got up to speed and moved forward. How did it change you?

Clients may feel a great sense of unease in a world that is foreign to them. As lawyers, how can we empower them by imparting what we know? And what can we learn from them (and others) that will empower us to help others?

My son has now mastered sitting “criss-cross apple sauce,” among many other things. He teaches me every day. And (I say with a parent’s proud smile) I am eager to learn more.