Being "The Smart, Responsible One"

I was sitting there, still and calm in a classroom full of laughter and boisterous children. Erasers were being flicked across the room and students were not cooperating, as usual for our afternoon math period.

"That is enough!" my teacher yelled, her face as red as the apple poster on the wall. The room went silent. She then proceeded to give the class a lecture about our poor behavior and how things were, "going to change from here on out!"

The next day, we came in to new assigned seating. Well, some of us did.

Because I was a perfectly behaved student, teachers thought it logical to move the most troubled kids in the class next to me. Because that would somehow just cure their years of insanity,right?

Wrong.

Seriously, sometimes I wish that I could go back and ask my teachers what they were thinking putting these kids next to me. But, as usual I bit my lip because I was taught to be respectful and trust your authority figures.

However, my grades started slipping due to all the distraction from the wrong children. Eventually, my mother stepped in and this was no longer an issue.

Until I got to high school. And it happened all over again.

Teachers actually believed that by putting me with troubled children I would somehow convert them to the well-behaved side. Correct me if I am mistaken, but I am pretty sure that was their parents' job.

------

Being a smart, responsible and well behaved child growing up is not all it is cracked up to be. While I take pride in the fact that I have my sh*t together and am able to prioritize my responsibilities, there definitely are downsides to being this way.

Growing up, people have always expected me to behave appropriately and get As in everything. Whenever I slipped a curse into my conversations or received anything other than a B, people were utterly shocked.

Condescending comments about me not wanting to go out with people so that I could study became the norm. Losing friends because I choose to put my responsibilities first. People expect you to always have a plan for everything and make perfect decisions, as if I am some magical unicorn princess.

News flash, honey... that ship sailed along with my unrealistic desire to be perfect. Just because I highlight everything in pretty colors does not mean I am any more perfect than you! (Okay maybe just a little...)

Seriously though folks, as a message to all of you out there wishing you weren't known as the "(insert appropriate adjectives here) one" just remember that the grass is not always greener being "the smart, responsible one."

The truth is, these projections that others put onto us, often keep them from getting to know who we really are and accepting the imperfections of life. Keep being you, my friends, and please, for the life of you... don't sit next to me in class.