Not everyone looks for reasons to nominate someone for an award. Sure, some awards come easy—fastest athlete or highest grade. But what about for kids who struggle?
For some parents, some seasons are harder than others. For me, it’s Award Season.
It’s invitation season. Graduations, commencements, and parties.
It’s award season. Scholarships, college acceptance, promotions. Sports teams and students of the year.
It’s senior picture and prom season.
All of these events are exciting and worthy of celebration. The awards are hard-won and much deserved. I applaud the recipients and appreciate their moments to shine.
It’s just that, as a mom I see there are other awards missing. Really important ones.
The Missing Awards: Not everyone looks for reasons to nominate someone for an award.
There should be an award for the kids who are brave enough to get up and go to school the next day, when the day before they were bullied, or spent the day in the principal’s office, or got an F on a test.
There should be an award for the kids who graduate from high school while juggling school work, caring for siblings, and working a fast food job to help support a family struggling to make ends meet.
There should be an award for the kids who go to therapy to talk about their problems. Lots of adults are too chicken to go.
There should be an award for the kids who have moved 10 times during their academic career due to a parent’s job, and each time started over in a new school.
