I've read a few blogs lately. A few Christmas newsletters. Seen a few Facebook posts. Heard a few stories. Proud parents sharing the happy news of kid successes. Top of the class. The sports award. The excellence results.
Is your kid one of these? A high achiever?
Be proud. Congratulate them. Urge them to do it again next year.
And while you're there would you mind taking a moment to get them to think. About the other kids. The rest of the class.
For every kid who wins there are 2 or 3 dozen others who don't. These dozens will never be top of the class. Or play in a representative sports team. They struggle to make an achieve grade.
These kids, through their own lesser ability, allow your child to shine.
These kids learn early about disappointment. They learn not to get their hopes up. They know they will never be feted or lauded. They know what second place or last is like.
Spare a thought for them.
4 comments:
exactly. which is why I rarely do such blogs, posts.
I hate presentation night at the primary school with a fiery passion. Every child is expected to attend every year from kindergarten on. I love seeing each kid who does get an award go up on stage and I applaud and get teary eyed for all of them. And all the while I'm aware of my own kids sitting in the audience never once being called up to get anything. David went through 7 years of presentation nights watching his peers be lauded for academic, sporting and other achievements. Caitlin has had 6. Tom did break the family drought last year by getting an academic award but that doesn't make me feel any happier about the way it's done.
/rant
It's possible I'm a little passionate about this :P
This is so, so true. In a roundabout way I posted about this on the Mum Files last year - although my post was more about parents bragging, which I hate with a passion. (I don't care how you dress it up - bragging is never good!) My own kids are very different and "achieve" at different levels. One child in particular seems to tick all the academic boxes and is often the recipient of praise/awards etc. Another of my kids will never, no matter how hard he tries, win anything of that kind. I know he sometimes feels second best because of this. In my book, being a good person, someone that is kind and considerate, is far more important than being the "best" at something or winning an award. Not that these things are mutually exclusive, but I do think it's important for kids (and parents) to recognise that there are more important things in life than "winning."
Well said.
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