Not getting in

So the girls didn't get into the magnet school they were testing for. Not that we expected them to but for me personally, it was still disappointing. I always expect to succeed at that stuff and guess I'm transferring that to the kids. M and I decided beforehand that we weren't going to tell them either way though...they are young; they will have plenty of opportunities for failure going forward in life so why set that stage now. We were more interested in seeing what level they were at though. I hope they are at least average for their grade level in reading and math. Ok, let's be honest, I'm hoping they are at least above average. Makes me think more about my own educational history though. I always did well at these things through high school - expected to be at the top or in the running for any competitive academic test. I think that gave me a false sense of my own superiority though. The truth is, that stuff doesn't matter in the long run. In college when I didn't get a 4.0, I felt like a failure. Don't get me wrong, I've failed at plenty of things since then. I've been rejected by more jobs than I've been accepted to. I didn't get into any of my dream MBA programs. I actually think it's best if the kids don't experience early success and instead build a solid foundation emotionally and spiritually to carry them through life. It's what I'm trying to do now but damn, would be nice if it was already there!