My Fearless Fierce Middle Daughter

This post made in conjunction with Zipit.

Let me tell you about a fierce and fearless young woman, who despite being diagnosed at an early age with a learning disability in math and having ADHD (attention deficit disorder) who is making her dreams come true.

At an early age, I knew that my middle daughter was struggling when in school. I even remember having a conversation with the guidance counselor in kindergarten about her struggles. I was told that at that age they just consider it immaturity. Fast forward to the middle of her 1st-grade year, there was talk of making her repeat the grade. But I knew that if she just had a little help that she could overcome. And she did!

After talking to her teacher and her pediatrician we decided to get her tested for ADHD. And she was put on a small dose of medicine. Folks with all her hard work and determination, a little help from her medicine, her teacher, myself and a tutor, she made it through 1^st grade with flying colors.

She learned that she had to work harder than most of her classmates to achieve the same amount of success that they would. It was hard for her because she had an older sister who school just came easily to sometimes. And the fact that they both look a lot alike, and had some of the same teachers you can imagine the comparisons. But she had some amazing teachers in elementary school who got her to come out of her shell and encouraged her to just be herself.

Fast forward, to the first year of middle school, all that the last two years of elementary school had accomplished for her self-esteem and her confidence was dashed when she got the teacher from He**. This teacher would forget to give her medicine at school and then would question why did she need it anyway. Middle school is hard for most kids, but having a teacher that is a bully just makes it harder.

Luckily, she had some amazing team teachers who made up for the bully and stood up for her. But that year almost broke her. She began to doubt herself and I remember her calling herself stupid on more than one occasion.

After 6^th grade, we were so looking forward to a new and fresh start and we got that with her whole team of teachers. One who has since moved onto to be a minister and totally made a huge impact on her life. Mikaela regained her confidence and in 8^th grade, she came to me and said: “Mom, I want to try not taking my medicine for a while.”

I told her, okay but if her grades slip or if I see her fall back on her schoolwork, she would go back on it.

Well, folks, she is currently not on any medication and is enrolled in college pursuing her degree in Interior Architecture. Oh, and did I mention she also has a drafting degree, and she earned that while she was going to high school and playing soccer.

Words cannot express how proud I am of Mikaela, at 4’11” less than 100 pounds she is a tiny little thing, but she is a fierce force to be reckoned with.

One of the things that she gets as an architect student at her college is her own studio space. At the beginning, it is just a desk but as they continue through the program they gain more space. In her space, Mikaela can decorate it any way she wants. So last week when she came home from college for the weekend and said that she needed stuff for her space, especially stuff to hold her drawing supplies, I knew exactly what I was going to give her.

This ZIPIT storage case may look like something a little kid would have in school. But to me, it stands for so much more. To me, it reminds me of the little girl who didn’t let her circumstances define who she would become. It also serves as a constant reminder (the monster face) to Mikaela to attack everything with her fierce and fearless attitude. Because she may be little but she is fierce.  And I love the company motto” By making products that are smart, colorful and designed with a clever twist we love inspiring young people to be original and clever, optimistic and fun.” And that is just what Mikaela needs because she certainly is an original and one of a kind.

 

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