In the realm of online debates, grammar policing seems to be an unwritten rule. “You’re wrong. Don’t you mean ‘YOU’RE’?” How satisfying it feels to correct someone’s spelling errors! Yet, when you pause and reflect, it becomes clear that this behavior can be quite hurtful. We often know nothing about the person behind the screen—their battles, their background, their struggles.
Recently, author and mom, Ava Thompson, shared her personal journey on social media, shedding light on why her grammar sometimes falls short of the high standards set by the so-called grammar authorities. “Every time I post a blog, I face questions about my spelling and grammar. So, I feel it’s important to share my story,” she begins. Ava recounts her educational struggles, starting from her early school days when she often lagged behind in her homework and found it difficult to focus.
“In fifth grade, while vacationing with my dad, he decided to eliminate sugar from my diet to see if it could help with my concentration. Spoiler alert: it didn’t work,” she shares. Ava recalls a painful memory when her teacher publicly ridiculed her in front of classmates, proclaiming, “You’re so dumb; everyone knows it!”
These experiences didn’t stop there. In seventh grade, her best friend overheard a music teacher remarking that Ava would undoubtedly fail. “Just watch, that’s what she does,” the teacher said. It wasn’t until her twenties that Ava was diagnosed with dyslexia and possible ADD.
However, her passion for writing never wavered. “I wrote through heartaches, travels, and the chaos of motherhood,” she reflects. Rejection from publishers didn’t deter her; she persisted. At 28, Ava enrolled in college and ranked in the top 92 percentile for her intake year. But juggling motherhood and studies proved too challenging, so she opted to focus on her writing.
Now, Ava has become a best-selling author, runs a successful clothing line, hosts her own radio show, and boasts over a million followers on social media. She has even established two safe houses in Kenya—all this from the girl who once thought of herself as the “dumbest kid in class.”
“This is why I don’t hire an editor for my blogs; I want my grammatical mistakes to be visible. I may struggle with ‘they’re’ and ‘theirs’ or ‘you’re’ and ‘yours,’ but I celebrate my children’s academic wins without stressing over their failures,” she explains.
Next time you feel tempted to judge someone’s grammar, remember: everyone has their own battles and hurdles. Criticizing someone’s abilities only adds to the weight of their struggles. “I am who I am, and I want other ‘dumb’ kids who struggle with spelling or reading to see themselves in me,” Ava concludes. “Because there are countless ways to define intelligence. Nobody believed in me—so I proved them wrong.”
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In summary, Ava Thompson’s story serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of compassion in our online interactions. Recognizing that everyone has their own unique struggles encourages us to be kinder instead of critical.