I saw an advertisement on the side of some webpage, aimed at me. "Homeschooling," I saw out the corner of my eye. It asked me whether I didn't want to make sure my child was ahead.
"Ahead" of what? Ahead of himself? That's considered a bad thing. "Don't get ahead of yourself," people say.
"Ahead" of other people? What's the rush?
When the traffic is slow on the freeway, sometimes someone will zoom along the shoulder and try to squeeze in. Why? It's not helpful. It's not polite. It's not safe.
My children are grown. They grew slowly, safely, politely, and I've always tried to be helpful. They weren't ahead. They were right where they were, all day, every day. There they still are, where they're used to being. They are themselves, here and now.
SandraDodd.com/being
photo by Sandra Dodd