One Year Down, Three to Go

When your children are born, you have huge dreams for them and all they are going to accomplish - you want them to change the world.  When Elizabeth was born, we had all of the hopes and dreams any parent could have for their child - but when the shooting at Newtown happened, our idea about what "changing the world" meant evolved.  And we told each other - and Elizabeth - that changing the world didn't have to mean curing cancer, it could be as simple as being kind to the kid that always gets bullied, so that they know that they always have a friend.  Over the last few years, we've watched Elizabeth be kind to kids that don't always have someone in their corner and it's made us so proud of her.
In her first year of high school, she made a lot of new friends. It was particularly gratifying for us as parents to watch her flourish in her new environment.  Two of her new friendships, in particular, have special meaning.  First, she made friends with a girl who went through middle school with no friends and announced on the first day of high school that she intended to go through all four years without talking to anyone or making friends.  Challenge accepted.  By Christmas, Elizabeth had won her over, presenting her with a small jar of "memories" they created during the first few months of school, and they remain the closest of friends today.  Second, she became very good friends with one of the only gay students in the freshman class.  I'm embarrassed to say that the girl had a rough go of it during the year, so much so that she decided to transfer to a local public school.  On her last day of school, she presented small gifts to those students who made her feel welcome and loved during the school year - and she gave one of those gifts to Elizabeth.  When all is said and done and I look back on the year, these are the things that I am most proud of.  These are the reasons I believe that our girl will change the world.
In addition to the friendships she built, Elizabeth withstood her first male-female test.  A boy that she was good friends with showed a more than normal interest in her and she had to extract herself from the friendship; and over time, when his attentions became a bit more obsessive, she went to the school administration herself and requested assistance.  She had our support at all times, but she handled it on her own.  When the Dean of Students called me to report on how they were dealing with the situation, she told me that as a freshman, Elizabeth demonstrated the type of self-advocacy skills that they hope their seniors learn by the time they graduate.  We were very proud of how she handled the situation and how she was able to keep hurt feelings at a minimum.
All of this is not to say that we aren't tremendously proud of the fact that she showed up at a brand new school, not knowing a soul, and just soaked in the experience; which is not say that we aren't proud of her for carrying a difficult course load of honors classes and earning First Honors every quarter and for the year; and which is not to say that we aren't proud of her for earning two varsity letters as a freshman.  We are proud of all of those things.  But we are most proud of the person she is and the person she is becoming.
One year down, three to go.  The days are long, but the years are short.

Our last drive in together - we made it 180 days without a single tardy.