Middle school today, gone tomorrow, if only our sons and daughters could understand this statement. My son is in middle school and our lives have changed. Long gone are the days of color pages and birthday invitations. Just as surely as the seasons change, so do the hormones and the moods in our home now. I realize now that at the beginning of the last school year I wasn’t fully prepared. There are certain things I should have told my son before he started the sixth grade. Little tidbits of advice, that without doubt he will not believe or actually listen to now, but I hope that in due time, these words will speak to him in ways he needs.
Listen to me when I say:
1. This time in your life is merely a stepping stone. This time is not meant to define you as a person in years to come, it is only meant to play a very small part in shaping the person you will grow to be.
2.In the course of one day, you will go from having feelings of elation to feelings of deep sorrow, all for no apparent reason.
3. You will experience joy from new friendships and sadness from ending friendships. Throughout your lifetime, friends will come and go. People are brought into your life to teach valuable lessons and no matter how hard the lesson was, be thankful. You will be wiser for it.
4. You will at some point become ill with love, we call it love sick. It’s exciting, frustrating, exhausting, and beautiful. Symptoms of this illness are: uncontrollable smiling, profuse sweating, a butterfly feeling in the pit of your stomach, insistent day dreaming and/or doodling, and non- stop talking about a certain boy or girl.
5. Along with love comes heartbreak. At some point in the near future you will feel your heart breaking in two, literally. This part of love hurts like hell, and for awhile you will probably only see darkness. But, please, remember my words. Time really does heal all wounds. Each week will bring a little less pain and then one day you will wake up and think, ‘wow, it doesn’t hurt anymore’. Then you will fall in love again. Just remember that God has a special person in mind for you. So don’t look at breakups as losses, look at them as being one step closer to the one.
6. Your body will start acting crazy! Voices will start changing, curves will appear and pimples will pop up. It’s all a part of life, just learn to embrace the weird and know that you aren’t the only one.
7. Be kind to everyone you meet. Smile, because you don’t know when that smile will save someone’s life. Never make fun of someone ever and especially for being themselves. Being different is hard but it is so good!
8. Be brave, be a leader. Pave your own path and be proud of who you are. Followers are weak.
9. Don’t worry about your troubles and how you will face tomorrow. Take comfort and relax in the fact that only God knows what your future holds and there is nothing you can do to change his plans for your life.
10. Be respectful to your parents, let your mom kiss you goodbye and hug your dad every chance you get. Because, one day they will no longer be around, and regret is ugly.
Middle school can be rough. But, truly it’s over before you know it, and one day soon you will find yourself looking back on this time and smiling because you made it out! Always remember this. You are special. You are worthy. You are important. You are loved. This too shall pass and you’re gonna be okay.
