Why?

Why does society teach children, to focus on how to be like their peers.  Why does society as a whole feel that it's so incredibly important to be the same.

Same clothes.
Same shoes.
Same marks.
Same level of knowledge
Same interests.

Same, same, same. Strive to be the same, and strive to do well on tests - or be 'testable'.

My son, in essence, has spent 3 years in the 'public school system'.  Yeah, I've done 'part time homeschool'.  I've bought curriculum. I've done work with him.  I've TRIED to teach him he doesn't have to be the same.
He is my son, not my neighbors son, not his Aunts son, MINE.  And all he has to be, is himself.

Let me tell you the basics, Grade One is officially done. My son describes him self as (his words):
Seven Years Old.
Done Grade One. Almost in Grade Two.
Mommy and Daddy's boy.
A brother.
Bad at reading.
Bad at spelling.
Bad at soccer.
Bad at the monkey bars.
Stupid compared to other kids.
Behind in reading. (level 7, most other kids are level 12 or more)
Bad at bike-riding, as I can't ride without training wheels.
Bad at gym.
Good at math.
Mom's best boy.
Stupid.
Bad at talking - other kids don't understand me well always.

Why is so much of it focused on the bad.  I tell him so much good. I praise him many many many times a day (as does his farther), but still the "bad" sticks.

Let me tell you what I see (and his Dad).
MY son is:
Seven Years old.
Done grade one. staying home for grade two.
My little boy.
My only child.
My miracle.
A active swimmer.
the youngest kid to ever make the local swim team.
Someone who loves to help.
A kid that has only been speaking for 3.5 years (started talking just before he turned 4, long story). A kid that is at level for how long he's been talking.
A master of mathematics.  He sat at my table and explained multiplication to me today.
A kid who is eager to read.
A kid who got 5 sightwords right of the grade 3 list.
A child who asks questions.
A child who will (with assistance) actively search out the answer of questions his parents can't answer.
A child who loves God.
A child with a heart condition, that limits the sports that he can participate in.
A child who loves broccoli. And asparagus (pickled of all things).
A child who is behind in language from his same-age-peers, but who actively does speech lessons, etc to come to his same-age-peers.  When compared to kids who have been talking same time as his, he is on par.

I understand we are 'trained' to care more what our peers think, then our parents.  I get that.  But it is so wrong, that by seven years of age, we have taught our children to focus on the negatives.   Of all the phrases my son uses to describe himself, only two are positive.  a few are neutral, but only TWO are positive.  Why must we, as a society, beat down our children that much.

My child can accomplish anything.  And it's time society stopped telling him otherwise.

My child, is MY child. He has his strengths, he has his weaknesses.  But he is MY child. He is his own person.  Stop trying to turn him into a drone.  This is not Star Trek, and we are not the Borg.  He is a seven year old boy.  Stop tearing him down, and help me start to build him up.  Our children are children. Let them play. Let them be kids.  Let them learn, and grow, and discover. Let them become what we haven't managed (if they choose to). Build them up.

Children are our future. So help them be great. Help them be good. Stop telling them they are bad, or insufficient when compared to others.

We cannot expect our children to become great people and leaders if we continue to leave them in a system that tears them down.

**As a side note, my son is my only child, but I have also 'helped' raise my husbands two daughters, both of whom are no adults and have homes and families of their own.  This situation is not unique to boys. It is not unique to my child, or my family. It just is. And it needs to be changed.