Leveling the playing field

Not gonna lie....my 8th grade year was THE worst year I had in school growing up....I was a smart alec, know-it-all, quick-tempered little girl....in sports, I'd yell back at my coaches....throw chairs....I was like the Ron Artest of jr. high....I was rude to anyone in authority and got in TONS of trouble because of it....looking back, I'm not really sure what made me so anti-authority....my parents were AMAZING....they had this great way of balancing discipline with love....and I "got" it....but with everyone else, that same respect didn't translate....AT ALL....I spent a lot of my time in AEP (Alternative Education Placement...or in school suspension)....crazy, I know....especially since I'm a pastor's kid and EVERYONE knew it....second semester of that same year didn't start off much better....I was "blessed" with probably THE meanest math teacher alive....we'll call her "Mrs. R."....well, Mrs. R. was a loud, brash, big-eyed, makeup-lathered woman that didn't seem to enjoy children....I think she became a teacher for all of the holiday wear and accessories....sweet mercy....she had pumpkin earrings the size of small dogs....anyways....needless to say, I got in trouble in her class....EVERY day....so finally, a parent conference was called....my dad came in and there we were....me, the enemy (Mrs. R.) and my savior (daddy)....so Mrs. R. began to run down her laundry list of things I'd done and said in her class and she ended her schpeel with...."honestly Mr. Peak, I expect more from her since she's the daughter of a minister"....with all the stuff she'd said, I almost agreed with her and knew "pickin' a switch" was in my future....but my dad answered her with the most surprising response....he said...."you shouldn't expect ANY more or ANY less from my daughter, no matter who I am or what I do...she is just like EVERY OTHER STUDENT"....playing field leveled....as PKs, whether we admit it or not....we feel this sense of responsibility....we carry this notion that we should act certain ways because of who our dad is....but, we hold our dads in such high esteem that we feel it's almost too much to take on....we set these high expectations for ourselves because we're "that pastor's kid" and we should "act better because your dad's a preacher"....but when my dad told Mrs. R. that day that I was like every other kid and to treat me as such, it was like that burden of trying to meet everyone's expectations kinda lifted....I WAS every other kid....anyone in ministry that has kids, please let them know that they're just like everyone else....they don't need to worry about living up to the PK label (which, I've learned, isn't the best label to have), they just need to LIVE....now, I didn't get out of "pickin' a switch" that night because my daddy sat me down and told me that I needed to change my attitude and my heart towards people in authority over me....and eventually, I truly learned that lesson....but maybe the biggest thing I learned that day was....I'm not JUST a PK....I'm JUST like everyone else....