6 years ago I sat down at my computer and wrote a blog post on a now defunct blog called "As the Diaper Fills". I wrote the post in tears because I had just come from Kindergarten orientation. I was shocked that the preschool years had flown by and my baby, B, was going to be entering the world of "Big Girl School". I was in tears because my sweet girl was growing up so fast.
Fast forward 6 years and my sweet B is finishing up her wonderful elementary school years. Elementary school was a fantastic time for B. She is a kid who truly loves school. She loves her teachers, her friends and oddly enough, even her homework. I remember that first day of Kindergarten. B looked so small and tiny, but she didn't cry. I cried enough for both of us after I got home from dropping her off on that morning.
I shouldn't be surprised that these past 6 years have flown by and yet I am. With each passing year of elementary school, I knew it was one year closer to the big MS (middle school) and yet, it still felt so far away. Now, I'm sitting on the brink of B's last day of elementary school (still 3 weeks away, but if the past 6 years flew by in a blink of an eye, surely these 3 weeks will fly by in a flutter) and Middle School is looming closer and closer.
In my mind middle school is a scary place with mean teachers and meaner kids. It's a huge place where incoming 6th graders will get eaten up and spit out before getting stomped on. I think I'm more frightened of the idea of middle school than the actual incoming 6th graders are!
All of my fears were squelched tonight. The Doctor and I attended the Middle School's orientation for parents of incoming 6th graders. All of the teachers and administration who spoke weren't scary at all! They made their subjects sound interesting and all cited fun ways of helping the students learn.
The band played beautifully and tears pricked my eyes as I imagined B sitting on the stage next year playing her flute for the newbie parents. When some of the students got up to talk about how wonderful Middle School is I started thinking, "Maybe this won't be so bad after all."
One of the science teachers gave a brief speech on what the 6th graders would be doing in Science and I got goosebumps. B absolutely adores science and her biggest beef with elementary school is she only gets to do science once in a while as opposed to every day. As the science teacher was speaking I wanted to leap up and shout, "Yes! B will love this!"
After the orientation was over and we were walking out a student from Middle School opened the door for us. "What grade are you in?," I asked her, just before walking through.
"Sixth," she replied with a smile.
"Did you enjoy school this year?," I asked, hoping my voice sounded light and not too interrogating.
"Oh yes!," she exclaimed, with a huge smile. "I loved it! It was so much better than elementary school!"
Perhaps the actual Middle School isn't quite as scary as the middle school in my mind is. I'm still terrified that B will get eaten alive, but perhaps that's just fear of my sweet girl growing up so fast. 6 years flew by so fast. . . I can't begin to imagine how quickly the 3 of middle school will.
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