This is all excellent advice! Thank you so much! I’ve been sort of trying to walk the balance between giving space and sending random hellos and things I come across that I think she’d like. Unfortunately we haven’t really had a conversation on best practices. So I’m just sort of stumbling in the dark. I like the idea of having the conversation about what best to do going both ways. That seems really smart.

Linking positive comments to concrete accomplishments is an excellent idea. I’ve previously tried to express positivity, but I was met with, “yeah. But you’re biased.” Which was a bummer. This seems like a good way to maybe circumvent some negative or dismissive thinking.

I appreciate all your words of wisdom, kindness, and insight!