5th, 6th, and 7th grade

"A goal without a plan is just a dream"
Having a quiet moment this morning on the last day of school. I woke up this morning to our company, Summit Heating and Air, being the top post on our 12k people Marietta City Facebook page. It somehow even beat out the town article about the beloved mailman of 35 years. We were lucky to have him during some of our years on Hope Street! I will catch up on our most recent move, but first I wanted to take about the last day of school.
How you treat people will determine your success in life. It starts internally with your business and goes out into all the homes you go in. All of that brings it back to my home for me. We love being entrepreneurs, business, and pushing our kids outside the box. It is challenging running a seasonal business that peaks at summer when school comes to a screeching hault. I love our kids get to experience running a company. David will be washing summit vans, Zach cutting the grass at the office, and Mackenzie cleaning inside the office. Our kids will become 5th, 6th, and 7th graders today. I raise 3 very different children from a special education student with epilepsy and developmental delays, to your average all american wild boy, to my little lady high flyer thats a little aggressive and wants to be a world changer. Our expectations in our family are unique. School is secondary. It's secondary because no one asks where I went to college, what my gpa was, or gives a flip if I was sorority president. Tim and I were both raised to find our passions and to love the Lord and pursue both above all else. We were both average kids, not perfect students, and possibly a little bit edgy. We were both called crazy for most of the unpopular choices that we have made, I've definitely never been called sweet a day in my life, but we know who we are and are ok with not being everyones cup of tea. And thats all I want for my kids.
Despite Zach's disability, he took home the 5th Grade Artist Award and it makes me teary. He loves art and it brings him joy and confidence and he is excellent at it. David finished 6th grade with A/B grades, but had to work his tail off from them wavering throughout the year. He also got a Reading award. Mackenzie finished her 1st year at the STEM school in Marietta and I had no idea the potential that was waiting to be unlocked in her. She also had A/B grades and was voted Miss Congeniality because she has the gift of getting along with anyone. Tims mother growing up said, "God has big plans for you" and Tim grew up knowing in his heart he could do anyting that he wanted. Tonight, we will take our kids to dinner. We will sit across the table, not talk about any awards, and tell them this:
Find what you love. Be a good student. Do the best you are able to do, but don't let it get in the way of people or finding what your passions are. Be kind, but don't get pushed over. When you see something not right, speak up. Don't be afraid of conflict. Ask questions. Be different. Do hard things and work hard. Being out of the box and going against the grain is not just ok, it may be just how God made you and prepare you for what's ahead. You are loved, brilliant, and we have your backs no matter what. 
Celebrate the person they are, not the awards they will get or not get. Godspeed to all the working parents and kids home for summer, we got this.
*Also, how our family regulates electronics. No kid has a phone. The wifi modem stays unplugged until everyone has finished what I asked them to do. Cheers!