Both in High School Now!

My teens enjoyed a nice summer in Florida...going to the beach, going to waterparks, and just hanging out and relaxing...unfortunately, summer jobs just did not materialize in this economy! I have mixed feelings about that: summer jobs are great life experiences for teenagers and they really need the extra spending money, but it is also nice to enjoy a little more time just being young and free before entering the "real world" of working every day. I think my son REALLY wanted to work this summer and I would have been very supportive of that, but it just did not work out. He tried though...I saw him apply for many things, but nothing ever came of it. Anyway...summer seemed to FLY by...it always does, doesn't it?!


My son started his junior year of high school full of confidence. He is now beginning to focus on the future, and he was able to choose some electives that may help him begin a lifelong career path someday. He fit right in because he had already found his "group" at school. He signed up for several clubs and extracurricular activities. He has become quite active in his new school--much more so than he was in his old school. I really think that moving was an EXCELLENT thing for him...yes, he would have LOVED to have moved before beginning his freshman year, but amazingly he has smoothly transitioned into a new school even though the timing of the switch was less than perfect. Being at a large high school with lots of students who move in and out of the system and transfer to different schools that have programs that interest them seems to have helped. In other words, he was definitely not the only "new guy" coming in...he quickly met people that he had a lot in common with and immediately became part of several school groups. I was proud to see him come out of his shell a bit and participate in lots of activities...it didn't take him long at all to "find his place" and decide that he was very happy in his new high school. That made me feel SO much better about the bad timing of the move!!


Because of the numerous choices of school programs in our school district, my daughter chose to attend a different high school than her brother did. She had already made some friends and met her boyfriend when she moved at the end of 8th grade...she wanted to continue going to school with them, plus she really liked the high school that they would be attending. So, when school began, my daughter was part of the freshman class...the class of 2013..and she was very excited about it! She also became part of some school groups and began to participate in extracurricular activities with her friends. She is a bit shy, so she sometimes just sits back and cheers on her friends in some activities...she is a very good volleyball player, but she just couldn't muster up enough courage to try out for the team--but she attends all of the games and roots for the team and for her friends who are on the team. She says that MAYBE she will try out next year, but I won't push this on her. I was REALLY shy in high school and I was too scared to try out for ANYTHING...I KNOW how she feels!! It is totally up to her--if she wants to do it, great...if not, that's fine, too. Even though she sometimes is quietly on the sidelines instead of being in the middle of everything, she is VERY happy. She is making excellent grades and is on the honor roll! She has lots of new friends...she has a very nice boyfriend..and she is participating in a lot of fun school activities. She is SO happy with her life in Florida! :)


So now I am the mother of TWO HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS!! Wow... I feel old!!! The days of being a PTA Mom at an elementary school are over...the awkward days of puberty and adjustment to teen life during the middle school years are over...now I have arrived at the final stage: mothering two teenagers through high school and preparing them for graduation/adulthood/real life away from home. Sometimes I can hardly believe that this stage has arrived. Even more mind-blowing is the fact that the high school years are so brief, and in just a short amount of time, my teenagers will be moving on to adulthood and moving out of my home and into the real world. I am enjoying every minute of this time with them that I can! I am preparing myself for "life after kids"--it will be SO different! But I am relishing the bittersweet moments that will take place over the next few years. I have already begun the countdown: the "last times" that my teenagers will do this or that. I can only imagine what I will be like during their Senior Year!! My son will become a Senior this year when school starts in the fall...I am already thinking about his "last" summer/school events/Halloween/Thanksgiving/Christmas/New Years/Valentines Day/Easter/Mothers Day/etc. before graduation. And I get teary-eyed just thinking about all of those special Senior events leading up to the final big day: Graduation Day! I think I am adjusting to these changes and events quite well--my son is really maturing and I can see the young adult that he is becoming--he truly is almost a full-grown man. Letting go of him will not be easy for me, but I think I am nearly prepared to do so when the time comes. I will be proud to see him follow his dreams and make his own way in the world. Then I will have two more years to adjust to my daughter's final moments of high school. This may be harder for me to accept...she is my youngest, my "baby girl," my female counterpart. But I do not want to keep her as my "little girl"--she is becoming a beautiful young woman with dreams of her own. I will savor each and every moment of her transition from teenage girl to mature young woman. I am actually looking forward to seeing her blossom! So, that is my life now: not only mother of two teenagers, but mother of two teenagers in high school who are rapidly heading toward adulthood. It has been and will continue to be an amazing ride! :)