I love my boy for everything he is and he isn't. Accomplishments don't have to be large

@sissy15 (12290)
United States
July 29, 2022 11:30am CST
I continually see parents posting their child's achievements on social media and there is nothing wrong with being proud of your child and what they've accomplished and you have every right to post about it. There are times I wonder if some parents embellish their child's achievements to make them look better than they are. I feel like some parents can't just be proud of their kids for whatever the accomplishment is without having to make it seem greater. I have known people who do this and it makes me a bit sad. Your kid did something amazing and that should be enough. You don't need to make it sound even better than it is. I feel like that's making their child's actual accomplishment less than it is and like what they've already done isn't enough. Parents want so much for their children sometimes so much so that they don't let their children be who they actually are. I see kids who are so gifted in academics and sports and I realize my own child isn't particularly wonderful at much of anything at least not that you can physically see. There are no huge talents he has that are going to set him apart from any other kid. Now hear me out, I'm not saying this is a bad thing. He is average at a lot of things and that's ok. It's ok to be average. There is always going to be someone better at something than you. My son is amazing. He is average at a lot. He is smart but he's not a genius. He is horrible at most sports and the ones he is mildly good at he has zero interest in pursuing outside of playing with his friends. From the time he was little I knew that he was smart but I also knew he had zero interest in being the best at anything. He has always been stubborn. He has always had massive amounts of potential but I also know that he has to be willing to work hard at anything that comes his way because he isn't naturally gifted at anything. He doesn't have the ability to just be good at something without really trying. There are only a handful of people who have natural abilities and my son isn't one of them. Unfortunately, this means he has to do the one thing he hates and that's work hard. I was told so many times over the years that he had the ability to be in the high readers groups but that he didn't like the challenge. It's incredibly frustrating to have this kid who has potential but doesn't want to use any of it. It's not even that he is necessarily lazy he is just easily overwhelmed. I've learned to accept that about him. He has things stacked against him that many other kids do not. He has sensory issues and emotional control issues. He is more than likely on the autism spectrum (haven't had him tested for various reasons but I'd be surprised if he wasn't). I've learned to accept who he is and take each thing a day at a time and slowly help him learn he can do hard things because he is smart and capable. No, he's not a genius but he's smart. When you have a kid who isn't like every other kid and don't get me wrong I know every kid is different but what I'm referring to is a kid who has issues relating to the world like a child without his issues you learn to accept them for exactly who they are and you celebrate each accomplishment no matter how small it may be in comparison to anyone else's child. I implore parents to celebrate their children's accomplishments exactly as they are and never embellish because what they have done is enough. Your child is enough exactly as they are. They can always become better at things but don't pressure them to be something they aren't. Help them become the very best version of themselves that they can be. My son is over-emotional, he cries a lot, and he acts younger than most kids his age but he is also the kindest sweetest person I've ever met. He is as stubborn as he is kind. I accept him for who he is right this minute but that doesn't mean I won't keep helping him be better later. I don't need to embellish is accomplishments because each thing he does is a step in the right direction. I celebrate every time he doesn't break down crying over something overwhelming for him, I celebrate each time he doesn't meltdown over the small things, I celebrate each time he gets out of his comfort zone. It's not always about the big things sometimes it's about the small things. My son has accomplished big things like straight As and he's accomplished small things like not throwing a fit when something didn't go his way. He will never be a sports champion, he will probably never be a valedictorian, but he will still be a good person. That matters more to me than just about anything else. His accomplishments aren't always the kind you post on FB for everyone to see sometimes they're the kind we celebrate together because it's a step closer to the right direction. I know how hard he has to try just to get through the day sometimes. He has challenges most kids don't. I will celebrate my son's mediocrity at times because for him being average is sometimes better than the alternative. Sometimes an average day means everything to a kid who often feels less than average between meltdowns and anxiety and just feeling like he isn't enough because he isn't like most of his peers. He wants to fit in and belong too. My son spent his last year of elementary school (last school year) feeling like he wasn't good enough or smart enough but he started making some self-discoveries about himself too and what it was he liked doing and didn't like doing. He made a lot of friends who seem to overlook his meltdowns and see him for the person he is. He is kind and caring and wants to help everyone. He isn't confident in himself. He is so insecure about who he is and that hurts. I want him to see himself from my perspective. I love him as he is. I tell him that all I ask is he always tries his best. I expect nothing less than a C on his report card because he is capable but I reward As because he is capable of them. I keep praying he figures out exactly who he is and he finds some confidence. I love my stubborn, insecure, smart, lovable, kind, empathetic, friendly, funny, goofy boy just as he is. He isn't talented in the areas you can easily see but when it comes to kindness and empathy he could lead the world. A boy who wants to help everyone while feeling like he's helpless. I'm trying to teach him to love himself. I'm trying to teach him that you don't have to be a natural at everything you do to learn to be good at it. He gives up on everything way too soon because he feels like he'll never be good. He can be lazy when it comes to some things. He thinks he needs to immediately be good at something and that will probably never be him. He is going to have to work hard and that's something he has never wanted to do. Not necessarily because it is hard but because he doesn't feel like he is capable of it because he doesn't feel like he is able to learn something. I will spend the rest of my life making him feel like he is so much more than he believes he is. I don't care about whether or not he becomes a pro athlete or whether or not he becomes a doctor or a lawyer. I want him to feel pride in who he is whoever that is. I want him to be happy and healthy. I will celebrate his mediocrity and I will celebrate every big victory in his path to becoming whoever it is he is meant to be. Small or big accomplishments don't matter to me because they are all going to put him on the path he needs to be on. The way I see it is my son has it worse than a lot of kids but also better than a lot of others. He can walk and talk and he is doing things some kids can't do for whatever reason and I'm so beyond grateful that I have him. I accept him for who he is in the moment and I accept that he isn't a genius or a sports champion. I am just happy I have him all of him for who he is and that's more than some get to say. Celebrate your child for whoever they are and don't push them to be something they're not.
1 person likes this
2 responses
@yoalldudes (35037)
• Philippines
30 Jul 22
You are a good parent. I am my daughter's number one cheerleader. I hope the best for him.
1 person likes this
@sissy15 (12290)
• United States
30 Jul 22
Thank you, I try to be. I think every parent should be their child's number one cheerleader and it's great that your daughter has you.
@yoalldudes (35037)
• Philippines
30 Jul 22
1 person likes this
@luisga814 (7140)
• Quezon City, Philippines
31 Jul 22
Yes. I'm a proud parent too so if my sons have achievements, I'm posting that also.
1 person likes this