Yesterday Megan and I were able to attend an end-of-year school ceremony where Haley received an academic award for having the third highest aggregate grade on her team.  A team is 4 classes or about 90 students.

The funny part is that 3 years ago we sat in the same room and Taylor got the exact same award.  I leaned over to Megan and said, “She got third and does no work, imagine if she tried.”  Megan laughed and said “She’s just like you were.”

It’s true.  I was an awful student.  I was smart but I never did any real work.  When I understood a subject, I did well.  If a subject required lots of assignments and homework, I didn’t do as well.  In primary school, I was a classic “B” student.  I like to say that I was top 10%, but I have to rely on rounding as I graduated 33 of 329 in high school.  It wasn’t until college when I was writing very large checks for tuition, that I started doing well.

Megan was at the top of our class and was always diligent about doing her homework and studying.  Taylor is just like her.

Both girls continue to impress me.  Haley’s ability to retain facts and images is just incredible.  She is able to grasp things very quickly and retain them.  She is writing a novel and I have to admit that I am hoping she finishes it this summer.  It is both interesting, and I am learning a lot about horses.

Taylor has an incredible work ethic.  Her ability to focus (outside of text messages) on homework, study regularly and perform on exams is admirable.  I really wish I had some of that ability to focus on things I don’t want to do, because I know it’s the right thing to do.

Not much point to this blog post.  I just found the day and the continuity in my kids to be fascinating in light of how different they are.  As they get older and I see them becoming more like ‘real people’ it is fun to evaluate their personalities and note their skills in the context of admiration, and not just in a parent’s state of wonder.