Last week I went to parent/teacher conferences for Kaitlyn, Brynn and Jared. I came home beaming, and feeling so grateful that my kids are doing so well right now. Each child's teacher spent the time telling me how wonderful they are.
Kaitlyn's teacher says she is extremely responsible, and always on task. She said she is very strong in math and language arts, but she especially shines in her writing. Her teacher was impressed with the voice she has in each writing piece. She was one of the only students to score very high in both math and language arts on their DBA test.
Brynn's teacher thinks Brynn is so funny. She said she is also always on task, and a very good leader. She is able to help others, and can explain things so the other kids can understand. Brynn's Enrichment teacher said Brynn is the most responsible second grader he's ever taught.
Jared's teacher thinks he is one of the sweetest boys. She showed us his journal and the darling pictures he is drawing. He has improved so much since the start of school! He is kind to everyone, always attentive and on-task too.
When I was a teen-ager I remember after showing my report card to my parents my dad would remark something like he was proud of my good grades, but then he'd say he'd love me even if it wasn't filled with straight A's. One time I asked him why he always asked me that. He said he didn't want me to think his love was contingent on a perfect report card. I did (and still do) tend to be a people pleaser, but I had an intrinsic desire to do well. And really, I don't remember that it was very hard to get good grades.
My dad proved he meant what he said when after my first summer semester at BYU, I called home crying with a {gulp} 'C' in American Heritage. (For the record, that was my one and only blemish on my BYU transcript). My parent's weren't upset, and even offered comfort! It was great to know that my parents did in deed love me--even though I wasn't perfect.
Now, as a mother, I have the same feelings as my dad. I sure love to go to conferences and hear that my kids teachers can see how special and neat they are. And I am proud of their success. But, I also want them to know that even if they are not perfect (since none of us are), I love them no matter what.
1 comment:
You have great kids! And they have a great mom! This post hit home because just last night Livy was crying in her bed because she got a C on one of her assignments. Even though her overall grade in the subject was an A, she thought we were mad at her and that she wasn't a good kid. We always give her praise when she does well, and it just made me aware of the fact that I need to be constantly reminding her that even though we are happy that she gets good grades, our love is constant and unconditional. It makes me sad just thinking that she didn't feel that.
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