'Better than yesterday'
2/27/20251 min read
Every exam season, something interesting happens.
Children become anxious. Parents become anxious. And somewhere along the way...
marks quietly become a measure of worth.
A child's. And sometimes... a parent's too.
We begin asking questions that sound harmless.
"How many marks did you get?" "Who came first?" "Did you beat your last score?" But beneath those questions often lives another, much quieter one.
"Am I enough?"
That is a heavy question for a child to carry. Because once success becomes identity...
every result starts feeling personal. A good score brings relief. A poor score feels like rejection.
Yet an exam has never measured a child's kindness.
Or courage. Or curiosity. Or resilience.
It simply measures how well they performed on one paper... on one day.
Nothing more. Nothing less.
The healthiest children I've met don't believe they have to be perfect.
They believe they can improve. That single shift changes everything.
Instead of fearing mistakes... they become curious about them. Instead of protecting their image... they strengthen their ability.
Progress replaces pressure. Learning replaces proving. Perhaps that's why one sentence has stayed with me for years.
I'm better than I was yesterday.
Not better than someone else. Better than yesterday.
That is a race every child can win. And perhaps...every parent too.
Because children rarely become what we tell them. They become what we consistently model.
If we measure ourselves by comparison...they learn comparison. If we measure ourselves by growth..they learn growth.
Maybe that's the lesson exams were never really testing.
Reflection
Think back to your own childhood.
What did success mean in your home? Being the best? Or becoming better?
Now ask yourself... What definition of success are you passing on...without even realising it?