life lessons for a 5th grader

It's been a busy May for us. We are transitioning out of elementary and prepping for middle school. Dissecting test scores, registrations, preparations... oh boy. Somewhere along the way, my kid has picked up a lot of intensity when it comes to getting it right the first time. We constantly remind her that no one is perfect and our mistakes teach us more than we will ever know. 

Insert all the cliches here: 

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger.

Nothing is built in a day.

Find happiness within. 

And perhaps my favorite quote: The definition of insanity is continuing to do something the same way and expecting different results (Einstein)

We experienced our first round of trying out for something. Ever. It went better than expected. She stayed positive. She was nervous. She tried! She didn't make it :( And despite the disappointment, she actually sounded hopeful for future tryouts and said she enjoyed the experience. 

This opened the door to constructive conversations: What went well? What would you change? Did you try your best? After all that, we determined that if you prepare and try your best, then you are doing your best with what you have and that's good enough. In short, try hard and always do your best, but don't kill yourself trying to be perfect because we are happy and will love you always. 

We haven't even started middle school yet and I am exhausted! So many life lessons. So many questions. So many new experiences. Aaaahhhh!!!!