Honor Roll

Can I brag on my kid?

She got her first report card last week that listed her grades in an actual A-B-C-D-F format. At her school, they start with the tried and true "S" for "satisfactory" and "U" for "unsatisfactory" thing. And when a kid does really well, they throw in an S+, for Super Plus Good! On this first real report card, I am thrilled to report that she got all A's! (I actually had to look up how to pluralize letters, and yes, that is one instance where you pluralize with an apostrophe. But doesn't it just look wrong?)

But you know what I am proudest of? She got perfect attendance for second quarter! Huzzah!

Last year she struggled with strep and with her asthma and missed 9 days total. So this is a big deal for me. I was a really sickly kid and never, ever had even one quarter with perfect attendance. Go, Ains! (Though she is already doomed for third quarter, having stayed home one day last week with a cold that made her run a fever.)

She was thrilled to see her name listed on the school's bulletin under "All-A Honor Roll" and we rewarded her with letting her pick where she wanted to go eat. Being our weird little child, she chose Indian food (never underestimate the power of rice pudding, I guess.) She is also thrilled that she has been chosen to be in something called the "challenge reading group", where she tells me she's learning "really hard words".

With the good news came a little bad, though. She did get a mark under the conduct portion for "Talking At Inappropriate Times."

This is not terribly surprising, though. She is half Jason, after all. (Oh, snap!)

Since I really do not want to be one of those parents who gets all bent out of shape when their kids are less than perfect, and since I really only ask of her that she work hard and try her best, I am working really hard today to just enjoy this moment and not take this as some sign that I should push her to get straight A's on every single report card from here on out. I am telling myself that if she gets a B next quarter (and if she does, my guess will be that it comes in math because, like her momma, crunching numbers is not her forte) I will still be proud and tell her she's doing great and blah blah blah.

And then I'll go have a good cry all by myself, because we all know that a B in first grade would completely doom her chances of getting into a good college.