Ty started Middle School today.  Yeah, 6th grade.

HOW DID THIS HAPPEN??!!

No.  Seriously.  I need an answer because just the other day he was 4 and thought I hung the moon AND the stars.  Somewhere in between I went from a sweet “mommy” to “mawwm”….drawn out, exasperated with a tint of “oh no, please don’t embarrass me in this moment”.

Here he is on the way out the door.  Totally not posed, he just always seems to have a book in his hand, especially when heading out to the car!

Looking at this photo just now, totally reminded me of this.  It’s still funny two years later.

Middle School is big.  Both literally and figuratively.  Two story school.  And lockers.  Oh man, is he nervous about the whole locker thing.  I don’t blame him, I was too.  And it doesn’t help that when he got to practice during the student orientation camp, he couldn’t get the darn thing opened.  Don’t we all still have the dream where you can’t get your locker open?  I had it just a few months ago.  Middle school will follow you for the rest of your life man.  I’m living proof.  Middle school = pecking order, and 6th graders are at the bottom.  Middle school = awkward.  Just the age and the uncertainty and the self image issues, self awareness, the feeling that “everyone” is going to notice you for something, anything.  Your friends are important and girls are becoming important too.  His school has a dress code (but no uniforms, bummer) and open house was an eye opener for me.  Times have changed.  Kids are developing faster.  Can I just talk about that subject for a minute….let me just put a note in writing to myself (and all other mothers of girls for that matter….listen up!):  PUT YOUR DAUGHTER IN A BRA BEFORE SHE NEEDS ONE.  Seriously.  I will not be that mother in denial that my daughter is developing.  Nor will I be that mother who looses the battle with her daughter about appropriate attire at the very first sign of mosquito bites up top.  I was shocked over how many girls in the 6th grade are fully developed and not wearing a bra.  Shocked.  What are these parents thinking?  My son is trying to learn here people, its time to contain “the girls”.  And another note about appropriateness and girls….SHORTS ARE SUPPOSED TO HAVE AN INSEAM.  If they don’t, they are too short.  I thought that went without saying, but maybe not.  We live in a very good school district and are thrilled with the schools our children attend, but man, maybe I’m old, but times have changed.  My mother would not have let me out of the house dressed like some of these girls dress.

Ok, off my soapbox, back to Middle School…..big changes for us.  Different schedule too, which I love because we don’t have to get up nearly as early as we did with elementary school.  Ty has 7 classes, 7 teachers, a locker, more responsibility, they dress out for PE.  Oh, PE!  The coaches look like linebackers, seriously!  They are going to kick his butt and work him hard.  I love it.  If you know anything at all about Texas football and how competitive it is, you’ll understand.  Let’s just say that they start with pilates and yogo. Oh man, I’d pay good money to see Ty do pilates and yoga.  Do you think he’d die of embarrassment if I parked my butt in the corner of the gym in a lawn chair with some popcorn.  Yeah, probably.  But I’m tempted.  After pilates and yoga they will be running him to the end of the earth and even though Jase says it’s no longer allowed, you can’t tell me these coaches are watching and priming.  They don’t allow sports until 7th and 8th grade and I’m anxious to see what Ty decides to go out for.  What I love the most about PE is that he’ll be keeping a food diary.  I bought him an extra large notebook for that one!  HA!  On that note, let’s just say that my refrigerator and wallet breathed a simultaneous huge sigh of relief when Ty left for school this morning!!  Sweet relief, the eating beast has left the building.

I’m also amazed with the technology our children enjoy.  24ish inch imac’s in the classrooms.  I sat down and wanted to play!!  He gets to take classes on Word, Excel, Powerpoint and more.  He’s excited about science lab.  I’m excited the most about his Leadership class, including community service, public speaking, confidence building, teamwork, many of the things kids need to know to be productive, confident members of this world.  That rocks.  Most of their textbooks are online and this is the first year he won’t be issued textbooks of his own.  Only math.  Just one book.  That’s crazy cool to me.

All in all, he was excited this morning.  Ready to see his friends.  Nervous about the 7th and 8th graders.  Yet confident.  I dropped him off and he bolted out of the car.  Just like he always does.  And this afternoon when I picked him up, he jumped back in, even more excited about how well his day went, chatting my ears off.  All about the gym and the cafeteria and his friend Ben in his science class and his favorite girl in social studies.  And when he walked in the door at home, Taryn ran right by me to throw herself around him and Teagan yelled out “baaaaa baaaaa!!”

It also struck me this morning that this date also marks the beginning of the last year my baby girl will be at home.  Yeah, she’s in Pre-K 3 days a week, but it’s not the same.  Kindergarten!  Time is marching right by me it seems.