Dear Little Overachiever,36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnLZP0k0H3P
#TheOriginOfTheHurt
You thought if you brought home high grades,36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSLPEX4HGJy
they would finally say, "We're proud of you."
You chased medals,36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTfiBpsA7Gp
starred papers,36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg0am25LANV
top honors—36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFtrlUxhq95
as if love could be earned through certificates.
You memorized lessons not just to pass,36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9Yv8Ypr5ao
but to matter.
You smiled on recognition days,36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1IqZnywn9L
searching the crowd for faces that never fully lit up for you.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrZ7e9F9DNL
Or worse, weren't even there.
When you failed—once or twice,36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuQQVKNHuUc
you weren't asked how you were coping,36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfRuw8keL3x
but why you didn't do better.
You learned that excellence was expected—36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi8mulvnEPw
not celebrated.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzpkTQGfIW3
That your worth depended on how useful, smart, or impressive you could be.
But no one noticed you were tired.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVCXdBsIraX
That your back hurt not from your school bag—36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkR6r8lVZSx
but from trying to carry their expectations.
You weren't seeking applause.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2k5bI9LH9I
Just affection.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyAsGmQUCOu
Just someone to say,36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDE2wQ7MW1Q
"I see how hard you're trying."
But love didn't come as a reward.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4RGsmtBQeE
And your effort, while outstanding, was treated as default.
So, listen to me now:
Your worth is not a grade.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcnKJYB2jkI
Your value is not measured by medals.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi3toVkwvp4
And your heart?36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFocw8Rt3Mj
Deserved more than performance-based affection.
You were brilliant—36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnf5yeR7uPu
not just in school,36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡotSFvxJny2
but in how you kept trying36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5FTihoEV05
despite the silence,36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUdCKchG1zX
despite the emotional drought.
You didn't fail them.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA42FKDVE5Z
They failed to see you.
But I do.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOGVcTBM7hv
I see that little girl.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNBCGSJBtIV
And I am so proud of her.
Not because she was perfect—36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxzPBbkCGik
but because she was persistent, kind,36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcblsz9dK6f
and brave enough to keep hoping.
You are not a disappointment.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHLY5quMbYz
Never were.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKqT3Z8dEUd
Never will be.
Love,36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOJOftZwiUs
The You who finally stopped asking for permission to feel enough
36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8xfcWbVN1v
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