On the horizon
Today, we begin the back to school preparations. School won't start for another 2 weeks and change, but Hayley has schedule pickup and pictures at the middle school this afternoon. My huggy baby girl is heading off into the world of middle school with its preteen angst and sudden need for being popular. Katie was ready for it, Paul and Jimmy welcomed it, and I was fine with those three growing up, but Hayley is still, in my mind anyway, one of my "Little kids."
And she's much more of a little kid than Katie was at the same age. Katie was chompin' at the bit to shave her legs all through 5th grade, and I wouldn't let her until she was officially a 6th grader, which meant she came home at the end of fifth grade after the last day of school, dropped all her end-of-the-year crud on the entryway floor, and barged into wherever I was and announced, "OK. I'm not a fifth grader anymore. Time to teach me how to shave." But not a peep out of Hayley regarding shaving. I don't want to push it on her, but I did ask if she wanted to start. And she said, "I don't know." So it's not that I want to hold her back and keep her from growing up; it's more like she still wants to be a kid.
So this business of Hayley going to middle school and having a locker and several teachers and being among the older kids is a little bit worrisome. Will she fit in? Will she get teased? Well, yeah, everyone gets teased, but will she be one EVERYBODY picks on? I don't want her to be like I was in junior high--completely clueless about many things and unprepared to deal with growing up--and teased mercilessly. Sigh.
And she's much more of a little kid than Katie was at the same age. Katie was chompin' at the bit to shave her legs all through 5th grade, and I wouldn't let her until she was officially a 6th grader, which meant she came home at the end of fifth grade after the last day of school, dropped all her end-of-the-year crud on the entryway floor, and barged into wherever I was and announced, "OK. I'm not a fifth grader anymore. Time to teach me how to shave." But not a peep out of Hayley regarding shaving. I don't want to push it on her, but I did ask if she wanted to start. And she said, "I don't know." So it's not that I want to hold her back and keep her from growing up; it's more like she still wants to be a kid.
So this business of Hayley going to middle school and having a locker and several teachers and being among the older kids is a little bit worrisome. Will she fit in? Will she get teased? Well, yeah, everyone gets teased, but will she be one EVERYBODY picks on? I don't want her to be like I was in junior high--completely clueless about many things and unprepared to deal with growing up--and teased mercilessly. Sigh.
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