Blaming Ayn Rand

The front of our refrigerator just got slammed. Everything is wrapping up for the school year, so we have been bombarded with certificates. 

For completing lacrosse, for being a “safety star,” for participating in a “día de español.”

Beckett brought home awards for just showing up and doing what was expected. Not for his astonishing skills, although he has plenty of gifts to share with the world. 

I know our generation loves to stomp on the participation awards. I think this is because too many of us were required to read Ayn Rand in high school. But I am all for recognizing someone for showing up, because, sometimes, showing up and doing ordinary things is really hard.

I would love a ticker tape parade for getting me and the boys to church on time in our Sunday best. I would love a thumbs up with a big toothy grin for being a shy person and showing up to the event with … people. And, despite lots of gratitude from Nathan, I have yet to earn a trophy for getting the laundry put away in a timely manner. That could be because it has yet to happen.

Here’s a thought, though. What if we change that? Maybe there is no glory in completing ordinary tasks, but what if we tell our kids that some days we’re proud of them for just being brave and showing up?

This was on my mind when I read the book Brick By Brick by Heidi Woodward Sheffield this week. It is about a little boy named Luis that is so proud of his Papi, a bricklayer in a big city. The boy highlights his dad’s day, climbing high in the city to lay bricks, eating lunch during a long day at work, mixing mortar and shoveling sand. The boy compares his daily work of reading books, climbing high on the monkey bars, eating lunch at school and building with molding clay. His Papi’s daily, unglorified hard work allows their dreams to come true, eventually owning their very own house of bricks. 

There’s rarely any glory in what we do every day, but that does not mean we can’t make one other feel seen as everyone struggles to build something. Maybe all of these participation awards are a great opportunity for us to teach our kids that it’s nice to feel noticed as we lay brick after brick to build a life.

#heidiwoodwardsheffield