Little Man’s Superstar District Award!

Okay, peeps.

LIFE.

Holy moly, we wake up at 5:50 a.m., already feeling behind, most days.

This is not a problem unique to us; it’s true of busy people and families, everywhere. But, I fully admit (every day, all the time), that we are in the thick of it: the golden, overwhelming years of family life.

The calendars are packed, the to-dos are plentiful, and the marathon seems endless.

However.

Every now and then, it seems God gifts us with a moment to press the big, red pause button. It often happens due to illness (sad, but true), but every now and then, it’s thanks to a really positive and celebratory reason. And we had a major one to celebrate, last Friday!

The week prior, I’d received word from the school that Little Man would be honored with a big district award, and, honestly, my first reaction was: Wait; my son?!

Don’t get me wrong: my boy is absolutely the coolest, sharpest, most fantastic kid in the universe, but…he’s loud. And confident. And chock-full of all that rambunctious BOY energy in this age and stage. He has a very quick brain and, apparently, an extremely high word count to get in, every day, so the talking never stops, ha. And for all those reasons, I'm often on high alert regarding his behavior at school.

So, color me shocked to my core that he was singled out amongst all the stinking boys in the entire school (they award the honor to one boy and one girl) to be the one to represent the campus as the Superstar Student of the Month; a relatively new, district-wide program of recognition that highlights all sorts of core character traits and accomplishment--and comes with a letter of accommodation from the district superintendent, and a pretty awesome sign for the yard, ha.

I mean…man. Talk about pulling at my Mama heart strings!

The pride was MAJOR. (Probably in part, due to the shock, ha.)

The award was meant to be a surprise to Little Man, to be revealed by the Principal on the morning announcements that are broadcast live to the entire school.

The announcements are recorded in the library (both girlies participated in Tech Team in the past, which is the group responsible for running the show!), so Little Man was sent down there by his teacher, without any explanation as to why.

It was hysterical to watch him arrive in the library, and then discover the hubby and I there, and waiting. Little Man immediately started panicking about what he’d done wrong, baha. I literally watched every emotion cross his face as his brain raced through all the things that might have landed him in trouble. It was tempting to let him stew in his angst, but we put him out of his misery by letting him know we were there for a good reason. :) The best reason! Here he is, getting a little cute and squirmy when the announcement was approaching and he was starting to piece together what was happening:

The emphasis for this month’s award was Leadership, and, goodness, hearing the Principals’s words about my crazy, amazing son…ugh. It got me right in the emotions!

Here's what she read to the school:

* * *

Little Man's greatest strengths are his impeccable manners, strong work ethic, and natural leadership. He is always mindful of his actions and the environment he's in, consistently setting a positive example for his peers. His work is neat, organized, and completed with pride, showing his commitment to excellence. Little Man's excitement for learning and his determination to be the best version of himself inspire those around him.

Little Man is special because he leads through example and treats everyone--peers and staff alike--with kindness and respect. He is thoughtful, responsible, and consistently demonstrates maturity beyond his years. His enthusiasm for learning and his ability to balance excellence with humility make him someone others naturally look up to. Friends are proud to call him a friend, and teachers are honored to teach him.

We are proud to have Little Man on our campus because he embodies what it means to be a (insert school). He represents our values of respect, responsibility, and leadership in everything he does. Little Man's positive attitude and drive for greatness make him a true "leader of the pack." He is a student who uplifts our school community, and we are excited to watch him continue to grow and achieve amazing things.

* * *

I mean, seriously. I don't even know what to say (or type!). Hearing this kind of praise for my incredible, rambunctious, bright and lively son is just everything. 

We're not new to this parenting game. In fact, as I've expressed in a lot of recent posts, we're sort of at the apex, about to start our descent on this rollercoaster ride of getting our kids to legal age. There is so much track behind us, and, yet, there is so much still ahead. And every age and stage is a whole different type of challenge.

We've never been parents who look to awards or grades as a barometer for our children's success or wellbeing. But, much like our pastor said in last week's sermon: Encouragement is oxygen.

Though we never sought--and certainly never expected--this kind of praise for Little Man, man, it is still so, dang encouraging to hear.

Parenting is nothing, if not a mind game. The constant second-guessing and questioning of everything is so hard to navigate. So, hearing from an outside source that your child is doing well is the best kind of encouragement. One I definitely needed, for my son, in particular. ;)

As I put Little Man to bed Friday night, he said, "See, I told you I was behaving at school." Ha. You got me there, kid. But then, we had an even funnier follow-up conversation where I asked him how much leeway this would give him--like, a legitimate number of months or years--before I'd need to worry, again. And I love that he actually spent long enough thinking about an accurate answer that...he got too sleepy and needed to close his eyes. Best. Ever. 

So, here's to Little Man, my newly-minted 10-year-old son, who is apparently, fooling quite a lot of people at school, and making himself--and us!--look pretty darn good (for now).

More catch-up posts as I'm able, peeps! I feel like I'm loads behind, but we're just gonna take it one step at a time!

Happy Tuesday!

Over and out.

P.S. I was extremely not bright when I took Little Man to Tarjay after school on Friday for a celebratory prize on behalf of his award.

He's long wanted an over-the-door basketball hoop, and...I finally caved. And immediately regretted it, ha. 

As if we needed more noise and overstimulation in our house. Now we have the constant thumping of tiny basketballs up on the landing--plus, Coda pup barking over any rogue balls or the sound of the electronic scoring system.

Best laid plans and all that. Gotta love it.

It's a good thing I love my kid.