Different

I’m about to have a heart attack with the thought of sending Caitlin to junior high and I’m not sure what’s at the root of my crazy anxiety.

We have successfully sent Caleb to junior high and high school (we were even out of state on Caleb’s first day of high school) and he did just fine. We didn’t take him to school to find his classes, didn’t have him attempt the combination on his locker, or worry about him having seven different classes and teachers. I also didn’t worry about him attracting friends who would lead him astray.

With Caitlin, it’s just different. I’m not sure if it’s that fact that she’s our baby, or if it’s because school has proved to be a challenge for her, or if it’s because she’s a girl and I know how teenage girls can treat each other, or if it’s all in my head. Today Caleb and I took her to the junior high with schedule in hand, and showed her the path from class to class and the layout of the school. We found her locker and tried the combo, we showed her where the bus would drop off and pick up, we got her a school map with the names of the teachers, and when it was all said and done, she was even more lost than before we got there. She wants her dad to take her back in the morning for one more go at finding her classrooms before 7th Grade day on Thursday, and then the first official day on Monday.

I guess when all is said and done, I want her to make good friends in junior high, I want her to experience success and accomplishment and to actually like school, and I want her to grow into a young women with a sense of who she is and what she stands for.

Yes, I think I might just have a heart attack before the week is over.