My failing grade

Ta-da my friends, I have found I do have about 10 minutes to devote to my blog and it's only Tuesday. This week we had parent-teacher conferences. I've been well aware of Jay's struggles in school since first grade but third grade is a whole new ball-game as letter grades are given out. I think I've finally moved past my "poor Jay" attitude. You know what, he is learning disabled and so was I and so was his dad - We made it through and so will Jay. That is the attitude we've tried to convey to Jay over and over but it's easier said than done. I am so aware that he's a boy and I know it bothers him way more than it ever bothered me growing up. Personally, I remember liking the extra help, Jay, on the other hand, not so much. Jay recently told me he was upset that he scored a "C" on a math test because everyone else had scored an "A," which I highly doubt . It's a such a balance because I try to acknowledge how Jay feels but I don't want him to be disappointed over a "C" either. My mom likes to remind me of the time I scored a "C" on a test in high school. I was upset over it and my mom pointed out to me that a "C" was an average grade and there was nothing wrong with that. I shot back at her that I didn't want to be average! I shared a story with Jay tonight from my college years. I can never tell how much he is processing the information but I hope the point of the story got through to him. When I was in college I had to take one math course in order to get my degree. That math course hung over my head like a dark cloud. But I knew if I didn't pass that class, there would be no college diploma. I faithfully went to that math class and studied HARD but I struggled. I remember thinking how in the world is this stuff coming to easy to others and so hard for me? It was tough. On the day the professor posted the grades I was first in line to see if I had passed the class and there in black and white was my big letter "D." I was thrilled. I had passed the course. I ran into my professor immediately after I learned I had passed the class. She told me that in fact I had failed the course but because I had showed up everyday for class, worked hard and came to her with questions, she took mercy on me and gave me a passing grade. Most people would think this is a terrible story to share with a third grader and maybe it is but I felt it was a story Jay needed to hear. I'm not proud I got a "D" in my only math course I was required to take in college but it was a story with a good lesson learned, a lesson Mike and I are constantly trying to drill into Jay - work hard, make good decisions and it will all pay off in the end.