Congratulations Brittany! You earned it!
“Why do I have to learn this?” cried my new 7-year old stepdaughter.
We were in the car practicing her spelling words while waiting for her older sister to get out of high school. It was what we did everyday after I would pick her up from school. She was frustrated with a difficult word, and letting it out…loudly.
“I don’t need to spell!”
Now this isn’t coming from a girl who is a bad speller. My daughter (I’ve been raising my kids for 12 years. they are not “step” to me anymore) has been getting 95% or 98% on her spelling tests from her 2nd grade teacher for a couple of months now. Something her mother and I were both very proud of, but not enough for Brittany. Brittany wanted 100% real bad!
As I told her how important this skill is going to be in her life, and reminded her how much she wanted her 100% she started to calm down, and we went through more practice. Day after day, test after test, ninety-something percent each time.
As I waited outside her elementary school for her class to be released knowing it was spelling test day, I had my fingers crossed. I saw her class coming out, and here came Brittany running full speed with her spelling test waving in one hand and a beaming smile.
“I got 100!” and she jumped into my arms in excitement. As I hugged her and congratulated her I saw her teacher looking at me smiling. I hoped I was far enough away for her not to see the tears of joy welling in my eyes, but she was a great teacher and she knew what this meant for Brittany, and for a proud dad.
Today my daughter is going to walk in for her High School Graduation. She is accepted to the University of Dayton (her first choice college) and she will be wearing the gold tassels around her graduation gown signaling the High Honors she worked so hard to achieve.
Congratulations Brittany! We are all so proud of you. It’s been a long time coming with a lot of hard work and I’ve been waiting 10 years for this day. I will be beaming in the audience cheering for you as I did from your first 100% and every day forward.
Nothing compares to the pride of being a parent.
Anthony