Somewhere Out There

Dear Parent,

Somewhere out there is a girl who didn’t get invited to Homecoming.

Somewhere out there is a boy who didn’t make the team.

Somewhere out there is a kid who dreads going to school because teasing never ends.

Somewhere out there is a teenager silently carrying abuse.

Somewhere out there is a student struggling to keep up in class, convinced they’re falling behind.

Somewhere out there is a child who feels lost in the strange, shifting world of high school.

Somewhere out there is someone crushed by online bullying.

And while we post photos of our children’s highlight reels—smiling in their dance outfits, holding their trophies, celebrating their wins—we must remind them that not everyone is living the same story. For every moment of celebration, someone else feels left out. For every success, someone else feels unseen.

This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t celebrate our kids. Of course we should—we should cheer loud and proud for their triumphs. But let’s also remind them that high school isn’t the pinnacle of life. Many experiences we hype now will fade into the background years from today. What lasts is resilience, empathy, and kindness.

Because here’s the truth: we all bloom at different times. Some kids peak early, others later. Some find themselves in high school; others only begin to discover their strength after it. And often, it’s the kids who felt invisible, overlooked, or left behind who grow into adults with the deepest empathy and the fiercest resilience.

So as we teach our children to celebrate their wins, let’s also teach them to notice the kid sitting alone. To check on the friend who didn’t get the part, the role, the grade, the invitation. To look past the highlight reels and remember the untold stories.

Because while they may not remember twenty years from now who they took to prom, someone else may never forget a small kindness that carried them through a hard season.

Somewhere out there, there’s a teen who wishes they were someone else.

Let’s raise kids who are willing to do something about it.

Love hard. Always.