The pressure of school

Dear Logan,

Before Aidan went to bed tonight, I asked him to tell me something happy and sad today at school.  He said he couldn't think of anything good, but he mentioned one sad/bad thing.  He said he accidentally crumpled his Math assessment/test paper.  I asked him why, and he said something along the line that he didn't do well in his test.  Actually, he didn't do bad.  He got 18/20 and he only got the 2 Math problems wrong because he was careless, and no because he didn't know the answer.  Math is Aidan's favorite subject, and he has been getting 100% almost every week.  But I noticed he started making careless mistakes when the worksheet mixed addition and subtractions questions together.  He was rushing to finish it, that he didn't read the +/- sign correct.y  When I reminded him to take his time and double-check his work, he said he wanted to be the fastest.  He was actually visibly upset when talking about this Math assessment, and I could feel that he was so frustrated he wanted to cry.  I felt so bad.  I tried to reassure him that he has been doing really well, even if it's not perfect.  But he was adamant that he wanted to be the fastest.  Of course, I tried to tell him that it's better to answer correctly than to finish quickly.  Aidan is so competitive, always wants to win and be the best/fastest, yet sometimes he gives up easily when times are tough.

Aidan is only in Kindergarten and he's already feeling the pressure.  I am blessed that Aidan is pretty smart and has been doing well at school.  I can't imagine what kind of pressure he's going to put on himself when he gets older.  I just wish he won't give up.

Love,
Mommy