Something really remarkable happened this year with Kay's P/T conferences for the first quarter.
She's always gotten good grades and reasonable praise from her teachers.
This quarter was different.
…
Instead of praise, we got …
… well …
… effusive praise.
Really. Every teacher talked on at length about how responsible Kay was, how diligent a student, how good at asking questions, how interested in making sure all her assignments were in, how likable she was, how helpful, all that jazz. Respectful. Nice. And, pretty much universally, "I wish all my students were like her."
It was almost a bit … daunting. I don't think either of us ever got that kind of rave reviews. Not that we were bad students, but, I mean …
And of course, we're very proud and appreciative and are telling her all of that, and it's all very keen. And, of course, all of which means, as she approaches the midpoint of her 12th year of age ….
a. We actually have a very special girl who's been brought up well and will turn out to be a happy, fulfilled, responsible adult.
b. We've over-instilled our own internalized shame-driven stress to overachieve and meet the expectations of our superiors to gain their praise and validation, and thus she'll live in neurotic unhappiness for the rest of her life.
c. In 2-9 months an internal switch will flip and she'll turn into Slacker-Goth-Slouchy-Uncontrollable Wild Child, rejecting all that we've taught her, getting piercings in provocative places, and counter-scripting for the next three decades against the System and the Parents and the Man.
I'm really hoping it's (a), to be honest.
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Hey, congrats to your daughter and the proud parents. I'm going to guess A, as marks like that don't come without applying oneself.
Oh, she’s one of those kids!
I jest. Excellent job, Offspring!
But… Dictation? Needlework? O_o
And now you have to sit silently at parties while everyone else complains about their kids – it is such a pain having a “good” child.
@MiL – We do suffer so.
I suspect she’ll be all of the above. Being feel-adjusted and neurotic are not mutually exclusive. (Ask me about my inordinate fear of hot dogs sometime.) And no parent escapes the rebellion stage; it’s all about what counts for rebellion in your world.
Maybe Kay will decide that she only wants to read Twighlight books?
NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!
Off to Military School!
That’s well-adjusted. I don’t want to know what feel-adjusted might be.
Well, the Twilight books are all about how to be a good Morman girl, so it would be a *form* of rebellion. =P
That being said, Lawful Good neurosis can be overcome, eventually.
@BD – Or at least compensated for.
Just make sure you carefully explain to her that the Twilight books are a horror tale about a girl who makes a lot of bad choices that lead to a near-chest-burster experience. Then play the Alien movies for her and ask her if she really wants to sleep with a vampire anytime soon.
Nope, I have a feeling it’s going to be d) beating off Geek boys with a stick and telling her that no, cosplay doesn’t justify that much cleavage, ever. While glaring at her. “But Daaaaaaad, all the girls are dressing up as Doctor Who this year.”
@DeAnna – Okay, I can look forward to that. 🙂