Yesterday was a bittersweet day – GCSE results day.

First, the bitter…

For me … seeing friends and proud parents posting about their child’s success…

For my daughter … wondering how her friends and former classmates and form-mates had done…

For me … thinking about all those hopes I had for my daughter when she started high school…all those predicted grades, even in Year 7, options, A levels, university…

For my daughter … feeling stuck in time whilst all her peers are making decisions about their next move, their continued education, their career, their future…

For me … mourning the educational journey for my daughter that we thought was written for her…

For my daughter … realising (and owning) all the experiences, expectations and dreams that she was pulled away from by her anxiety…

But also the sweet …

For my daughter … absolutely owning her situation, building in confidence and recognising that she is ready now to find that route around the blocks that her anxiety has placed in her way…

For me … watching this new, strong and resilient mindset from her that I saw glimpses of but didn’t acknowledge incase it ‘jinxed’ it…

For my daughter … seeing beyond now and activating plans to move forward…

For me … being proud and content that she had the space to reach this viewpoint, without undue pressure and expectations

For my daughter … feeling giddy about taking on new experiences and finally realising she has 100% track record of surviving anything that threw her off course…

For me … feeling grateful for patience and hope and reflection and love and acceptance…

So I send out much love to all my friends and their children and my ex-pupils and my daughter’s classmates for their achievements yesterday and every day.

But … I am also sending out much love to those who are thrown off track and lose themselves for a while, to those who succeed because they created their own expectations and weren’t burdened by those imposed on them, to those who may take some time, but eventually realise their worth and their ongoing potential.

This one is for you xx