Posters with average kids unite!

[Mermaid02]

I try to teach my kids that it's okay NOT to be the best- there will always be someone who's better than you at something. As long as you know you're trying that's all that matters. I think my daughter has a great voice, yet she never got the lead in the school musical and it's okay. I'm her mother not Simon Cowell!

My children are kind and thoughtful- that's good enough for me!

Who else has average kids and doesn't mind saying so??

 

[carmiedog]

ME!

My kids are smart, but not the smartest in the class.
My kids are nice looking/cute, but none are drop dead beautiful.
My kids are active and each good at something, but they'll never be the star of the show.

They have the tools to be very successful, without the pressure to be the best.

 

[MushyMushy]

Can a mom with below average kids join in as well?

My two are so different. The oldest could have excelled in anything he put his mind to, especially academics, so it was extremely frustrating to see him always getting below average grades and not having the motivation to do anything.

The youngest wants so badly to stand out in some way, but just doesn't have the ability. It makes me sad for her.

But I love my kids and just want what's best for them and what will fulfill them in life.

 

[jazzielady]

Me! Me! I have one average kid who works hard for her B's, C's and occasional A. but she has a good heart and will help anyone.

My other kid is a brainiac without an ounce of common sense.

I love them both dearly!

 

[Toad_Passenger]

Average?!?! I yearn for average.

My 3-month old DS just sits there and smiles. He can't read, he can't talk, he can't do a roundhouse kick! He's completely useless.

Don't get me started on my DD(3). She's cute and all, but just the other day she almost strangled some poor girl while trying to jump rope. A 3-year old who can't jump rope?!?! Again...useless.

 

[luvmy3]

Average mom of average kids here. We all have our good qualities and our bad ones, they all even out

 

[stm61]

I think my oldest is Mushy's son's twin lol. Scored off the charts on all the dr's tests, can't tell he's got any brains from his grades. My other kids all have average to below avg skills. They don't have their brother's abilities, but their grades are much better then his because they actually try and apply themselves to their school work. Extremely frustrating to watch the oldest get D's in everything because he's to lazy to be bothered to actually complete any assignments.

 

[mandylo]

Average?!?! I yearn for average.

My 3-month old DS just sits there and smiles. He can't read, he can't talk, he can't do a roundhouse kick! He's completely useless.

Don't get me started on my DD(3). She's cute and all, but just the other day she almost strangled some poor girl while trying to jump rope. A 3-year old who can't jump rope?!?! Again...useless.

 

[BCDisneyFanatic]

I'm absolutely positive that not a single one of your children could ever compete with how mediocre my girls are.

Although, let me tell you...the other day there was a school assembly, and everyone told me that DD11 would win the prize for "decent student with middling sports skills". However, they gave it this other kid...and I was absolutely positive I saw that kid stand up when they called the honour roll names. There is NO WAY that child is average!!! Of course, I sent every teacher in the school, the principle (sic), the superintendent and my local political representative a nasty note insisting that MY child should be recognized for just how ordinary she is. I'll be sure to let you know when they decide to fix this grave injustice.

In the meantime, try not to be jealous. I can't help it if my kids are the absolute best unexceptional kids in the world.

 

[Toad_Passenger]

I love this thread. Look at all these posts so far, and not a single "snowflake!"

 

[golfgal]

There is nothing wrong with wanting your kids to do the best they possibly can and I think it is wrong to settle for mediocrity HOWEVER, every child's best is different. When one of our twins gets less than an A on a test, we will comment because that usually means they didn't study because they are fully capable of getting all A's (and do when it all averages out). Now, if their best is getting a C, then we would praise them for that, but if they got a D, we would do the same thing we do with the kids when they get a B.

If you are ok with just letting your kid slide by, great, we are not.

 

[bdoyledimou]

The oldest could have excelled in anything he put his mind to, especially academics, so it was extremely frustrating to see him always getting below average grades and not having the motivation to do anything.

DON'T PANIC!!!!!

This was how i was. I was a horrible student (C's and D's) but I tested above average. i was lazy and unmotivated in class, sucked at sports and would prefer to sit in my room and stare at the ceiling..

AND NOW...

I am a powerful respected Executive. Just give your kids support and encouragement, challenge them... it could be he is bored, or just a different thinker and not interested in whatever everyone else is doing when they do it.

 

[Toad_Passenger]

There is nothing wrong with wanting your kids to do the best they possibly can and I think it is wrong to settle for mediocrity HOWEVER, every child's best is different. When one of our twins gets less than an A on a test, we will comment because that usually means they didn't study because they are fully capable of getting all A's (and do when it all averages out). Now, if their best is getting a C, then we would praise them for that, but if they got a D, we would do the same thing we do with the kids when they get a B.

If you are ok with just letting your kid slide by, great, we are not.

No one is saying they're letting their kids "slide by." We're just having a little fun in showing that gathering as many awards as possible in Elementary/Middle/High School shouldn't be the main focus of growing up. There are plenty of kids out there who would be considered "average" but will ascend to the same heights as those who are award-grabbers.

 

[monkeybug]

Average?!?! I yearn for average.

My 3-month old DS just sits there and smiles. He can't read, he can't talk, he can't do a roundhouse kick! He's completely useless.

Don't get me started on my DD(3). She's cute and all, but just the other day she almost strangled some poor girl while trying to jump rope. A 3-year old who can't jump rope?!?! Again...useless.

Chuck Norris would be sooooo disappointed!!! How embarrassing!!

 

[BCDisneyFanatic]

If you are ok with just letting your kid slide by, great, we are not.

I don't see anyone here 'letting' their kids slide by. I just see a bunch of people not hung up on their children being 'the best'. As parents, of course it is our job to push our kids to be the best that THEY can be. However, there is certainly nothing wrong if the best they can do is 'average'.

 

[elizke]

I have one who gets great test scores and grades, loves to read, for whom I never get contacted by the school, etc. I have another who has always struggled with grades, thinks books are his one true enemy, and for whom I have received 16 million phone calls and emails from the schools.

I think together they are average!

And you know what that makes me? An average parent, yay!!!

 

[disneyjunkie]

There is nothing wrong with wanting your kids to do the best they possibly can and I think it is wrong to settle for mediocrity HOWEVER, every child's best is different. When one of our twins gets less than an A on a test, we will comment because that usually means they didn't study because they are fully capable of getting all A's (and do when it all averages out). Now, if their best is getting a C, then we would praise them for that, but if they got a D, we would do the same thing we do with the kids when they get a B.

If you are ok with just letting your kid slide by, great, we are not.

 

[monkeybug]

Everybody excels at something, or at least has the potential too! I have no idea what that will be for my kids at this point, and I don't worry about it! I encourage and celebrate my kids for who they are, and we are honest about what they are not. My daughter struggled with reading for a while, and I think some parents were shocked that I would talk about it in front of her or was so open about it. I want my daughter to know that we don't have to feel ashamed about things we struggle with, that as long as we are trying our best, we should be just as proud as some one who is excelling. Being confident is about being honest about who you are! I always feel bad for the parents who go overboard bragging or exaggerating about their kids, usually they are the ones with self esteem issues, and I wonder if their kids will grow up feeling that there is only worth in being the "cream of the crop"? Not to mention when parents are constantly inflating their kids abilities the kids must feel like what they really are isn't enough.
My kids will (hopefully) always know that while we encourage them to do their best, it's perfectly OK if you are not always the best. Everyone has a moment to shine and we should celebrate that, not miss the celebration because we are too bogged down in competition to recognize someone's achievements.

 

[Magpie]

I had to think about this one for a little bit, before I responded.

Because, you know, my first reaction was, "My kids aren't average!"

And then I thought, "Wait, do I actually know any average kids?" And I realized that I don't. They're all good at one thing, and bad at another, and they're all unique and overflowing with exciting potential. Because, of course, they're kids! We don't know yet what they'll do with their lives.

Which got me to wondering, "What about adults? Do I know any average adults?" After all, we could say an adult has arrived at where ever they're going to go - so we should be able to say whether they're "average" or not.

My best friend is a self-described, "Parasite on the body politic." Her lifelong battle with mental illness probably means we can't call her average.

My husband just won a lifetime achievement award for his contribution to the community. He's not average!

My father in law was an auto-body repairman his whole life. I suppose if you looked at his hands, all stained with chemicals, and tried to speak to him (he wasn't a man of very many words), you might think he was "average". But that just means you didn't know him very well. He didn't have any formal learning, but he had a mind like a steel trap. I remember once opening up the newspaper and finding a quiz on "How much do you know about Northern Ontario?" I read a question out loud and he said, "A." The next question, "C." He got every last one right, because he'd lived it all and remembered everything - dates, names, right down to the tiniest details.

My mother in law didn't finish high school... until she was in her forties. Which was a fantastic achievement, considering the obstacles she had to overcome in her youth. Nope, she's not average, either.

So, I guess I'd just like to register a formal objection to the idea of "average". No one's average. We're all fascinating, interesting people, with our own unique strengths and weaknesses.

 

[allison443]

I had to think about this one for a little bit, before I responded.

Because, you know, my first reaction was, "My kids aren't average!"

And then I thought, "Wait, do I actually know any average kids?" And I realized that I don't. They're all good at one thing, and bad at another, and they're all unique and overflowing with exciting potential. Because, of course, they're kids! We don't know yet what they'll do with their lives.

Which got me to wondering, "What about adults? Do I know any average adults?" After all, we could say an adult has arrived at where ever they're going to go - so we should be able to say whether they're "average" or not.

My best friend is a self-described, "Parasite on the body politic." Her lifelong battle with mental illness probably means we can't call her average.

My husband just won a lifetime achievement award for his contribution to the community. He's not average!

My father in law was an auto-body repairman his whole life. I suppose if you looked at his hands, all stained with chemicals, and tried to speak to him (he wasn't a man of very many words), you might think he was "average". But that just means you didn't know him very well. He didn't have any formal learning, but he had a mind like a steel trap. I remember once opening up the newspaper and finding a quiz on "How much do you know about Northern Ontario?" I read a question out loud and he said, "A." The next question, "C." He got every last one right, because he'd lived it all and remembered everything - dates, names, right down to the tiniest details.

My mother in law didn't finish high school... until she was in her forties. Which was a fantastic achievement, considering the obstacles she had to overcome in her youth. Nope, she's not average, either.

So, I guess I'd just like to register a formal objection to the idea of "average". No one's average. We're all fascinating, interesting people, with our own unique strengths and weaknesses.

Great post!!