Honor Roll.

So, I have a long commute every day (as does Matt).  Some days, it is more about just making the drive so I can start my day.  Some days, it is about introspection and mentally preparing for the day or week that comes.  Other days, it is about observing my surroundings.  Sometimes, as one would expect, I see the same cars repeatedly.  The other day, I noticed all of the cars that were driving around me that had "My child is an honor roll student at x school."  At first, I just thought about how much  I begged my parents to put that stupid sticker on their cars when I received it.  It was a big deal to me to be on the honor roll, even through college.  But my next thought was kind of a punch in the gut.  Parker will never get one of those stickers.  I know most people come at a thought like that with the "oh, think positively, you never know what he will be able to achieve!" comments, and I appreciate their sentiment.  They are right, I don't know what my little man will achieve.  But I am also being realistic.  Parker shows over a 50% delay in comparison to his peers.  That is unlikely to change to the degree of him making his school's honor roll.  Will he care about this? NO.  It is just an example, which we will keep running into, of where our expectations for our baby have changed.  

And that is okay. 

That being said, I'd love to see a strong movement, like the #ChooseKind movement, take over where kids are equally recognized for their achievements as PEOPLE.  Like being kind and generous to others. Or for being "Green" and environmentally conscious.  Or being active in the community.  There are so many more things to recognize our children for.  I hope that when Parker is at the point in his life where students are working towards academic achievement with purpose, that there are other things that are highlighted just as much.  Because let's be honest... the "Yay, you participated!" awards don't quite cut it.  Let's show kids that we pay attention to more than their grades.