Dear Little Overachiever,34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUhwhIHlvXv
#TheOriginOfTheHurt
You thought if you brought home high grades,34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ6Ng4fHlME
they would finally say, "We're proud of you."
You chased medals,34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZDhuLCJFzL
starred papers,34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnU7SsDVqsw
top honors—34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiAjKQMIVbn
as if love could be earned through certificates.
You memorized lessons not just to pass,34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjkHvr95GcP
but to matter.
You smiled on recognition days,34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNrO83NGanp
searching the crowd for faces that never fully lit up for you.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdiHvwaYHmo
Or worse, weren't even there.
When you failed—once or twice,34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuIimSZLMuC
you weren't asked how you were coping,34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhWlbATVKHl
but why you didn't do better.
You learned that excellence was expected—34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDSk6Lhd1UG
not celebrated.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEqN2IQygad
That your worth depended on how useful, smart, or impressive you could be.
But no one noticed you were tired.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb1PwDNudme
That your back hurt not from your school bag—34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4SkpEy6j88
but from trying to carry their expectations.
You weren't seeking applause.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNY0oaQEVUA
Just affection.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrqy08HSgI9
Just someone to say,34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD6riyiuxzr
"I see how hard you're trying."
But love didn't come as a reward.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUPOvSsjAPA
And your effort, while outstanding, was treated as default.
So, listen to me now:
Your worth is not a grade.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKjIfBb8UnY
Your value is not measured by medals.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdhVavk0ppu
And your heart?34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUJFwZ5BFB4
Deserved more than performance-based affection.
You were brilliant—34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡamkW00etmt
not just in school,34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgKULhRC4mR
but in how you kept trying34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkm3IsN0ETd
despite the silence,34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIwBduvmN5V
despite the emotional drought.
You didn't fail them.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdJaqCQnzyy
They failed to see you.
But I do.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2d6Bjel4LV
I see that little girl.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNGu0QwzOkO
And I am so proud of her.
Not because she was perfect—34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcmzKY3vaGw
but because she was persistent, kind,34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoEcLWUaOBh
and brave enough to keep hoping.
You are not a disappointment.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP3OaYmGSHM
Never were.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3tnxfZUKas
Never will be.
Love,34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1tXOPICNln
The You who finally stopped asking for permission to feel enough
34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ56vm2zRTf7
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