Dear Little Overachiever,45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoYY6yW8g22
#TheOriginOfTheHurt
You thought if you brought home high grades,45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1wkvNvSseG
they would finally say, "We're proud of you."
You chased medals,45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDPRDqsZF8F
starred papers,45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4vGUC7VFjY
top honors—45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7nKtHUSyOm
as if love could be earned through certificates.
You memorized lessons not just to pass,45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXAw14K44VN
but to matter.
You smiled on recognition days,45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNoGc8Fue5x
searching the crowd for faces that never fully lit up for you.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5aUXl0uxdr
Or worse, weren't even there.
When you failed—once or twice,45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQsvBQrYxzo
you weren't asked how you were coping,45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWPeqiYloBt
but why you didn't do better.
You learned that excellence was expected—45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuSvAuR5F0C
not celebrated.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4hlx06BfSM
That your worth depended on how useful, smart, or impressive you could be.
But no one noticed you were tired.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcK63a4nHuL
That your back hurt not from your school bag—45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK69QGHMR74
but from trying to carry their expectations.
You weren't seeking applause.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwAIQoNpCDm
Just affection.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzhWrHX5q58
Just someone to say,45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1YXH1yCaw8
"I see how hard you're trying."
But love didn't come as a reward.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv5xDCDsJRz
And your effort, while outstanding, was treated as default.
So, listen to me now:
Your worth is not a grade.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLAIrDY4bHj
Your value is not measured by medals.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNeXpC42CGX
And your heart?45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEHgNXPDsoL
Deserved more than performance-based affection.
You were brilliant—45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI2mYMsEqty
not just in school,45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyHuVdtDZFW
but in how you kept trying45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZvQQtpITyC
despite the silence,45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrQ19Lwxzqg
despite the emotional drought.
You didn't fail them.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIroghb2qhp
They failed to see you.
But I do.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS80TsehJuE
I see that little girl.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQefIxA029M
And I am so proud of her.
Not because she was perfect—45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxBzJIbQdnJ
but because she was persistent, kind,45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj3UdIyJJg7
and brave enough to keep hoping.
You are not a disappointment.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdEoUSaQK7r
Never were.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZPPs9lclz1
Never will be.
Love,45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvkJSJUVX9i
The You who finally stopped asking for permission to feel enough
45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6R7YYO8oGn
