My kid isn't perfect.... she's exceptional.

I had a Parent/Teacher conference on Monday with Abby's teacher. A few weeks prior, she and the other kids in her class (pre-K) were all tested for Kindergarten readiness and the results would be shared at the conference. I couldn't wait to hear how wonderfully my daughter had excelled at this test, and how amazed the teacher was at all my daughter could do. Well.....
Lets back up.....
Abby's birthday is October 18th, 2006. The summer that she was 3, the school (private church school/daycare) that she went to was moving kids around (just for the summer due to a decrease in kids that attend during the summer). She was placed in the pre-K class. Not because they thought she was just a kid-genius, but because they eliminated the 3yr old class for the summer. So.... when summer ended and kids came back to school, she just stayed in pre-K, even though she technically wasn't old enough. But that was fine by me because she has always seemed a little more mature for her age and her teacher said she was doing just fine and had friends and was happy there. So, 9 months later I questioned her teacher about whether she should repeat pre-K, or move onto kindergarten. The teacher said she was more than ready for kindergarten. Only problem was, she wasn't 5 yet and wouldn't be 5 until after the public school deadline. (Must be 5 by Sept 1 to enroll in kindergarten) So our option was to keep her at the current school (which was a 20 minute commute from our house and 30 minutes from my office) or find a school that would take her. We found a private Christian school very close to our home and the principal told us her age wasn't a problem. We enrolled her in Kindergarten. HOWEVER, the public school still wouldn't take her for 1st grade. The age requirements stay in place for 1st grade too. The child has to be 6 before Sept 1st. We were okay with keeping her at the Christian school for K and 1st. She started school and made friends and was doing wonderfully academically. Her teacher said she was right on track for a kindergartner. Come to find out, the teacher had no clue Abby was only 4.
Unfortunately there were several circumstances (nothing involving the teacher) that made us really question if we wanted our daughter to attend that school. Kids in her class were telling her some highly inappropriate things that they watch at home. I had a gut feeling and pulled her out immediately. It was a quick, rash decision and I'm SO glad I did. But we were back with having to put her in a pre-K class (at a new WONDERFUL school)
She's been at her current school (private church school) since October and has been doing really well, although comments from time-to-time that she gets bored at school. She's the oldest in the class, and in my opinion, the most mature in the class (I'm talking she's probably as mature as a 6 yr old, nothing extreme here).
Abby is reading. And I mean reading, everything. She can breeze through the assigned books that are sent home. She knows all the sounds each letter makes, knows how to write all the letters, knows several blends, etc, etc... So I was surely expecting this readiness test to show just how "advanced" she is.
At the conference the teacher showed me the results of the test. She "aced" it with flying colors, but it was some very simple tasks that she was asked to do and none of it involved reading. Her teacher was not impressed, nor disappointed, but just very matter-of-fact about the whole thing.
I left very disappointed.
Then it hit me.
I'm her mom.
Of course I think she's the most awesome-est superstar to ever have been in pre-Kindergarten.
And I realized something else too.
There are 12 other kids in her class.
They have moms too.
And each one of them believes the same things I do.



And they are right.
And I think I can chill out about how she will do this fall in kindergarten. And stop feeling disappointed that she won't be ahead a grade. Because it will all work out. I just need to let her shine and let her teachers see what she can do. Which they will, that's their job. I don't want to be the pushy parent that keeps telling the teacher how awesome their kid is. Because there's always going to be a class full of awesome kids, each at different levels and teachers know that already.