Middle School

This Episode Of Bluey Is Called :: Letting My Kids Teach Me To Play I had been begging the kids to get their swimsuits on so we could get out of the house. I felt like Chilli Heeler, gesturing desperately at the open door. "The door. It's right there. We could just – walk through it." But apparently, like Bluey and Bingo, we couldn't get out that door, either. Our younger son (7) was so excited to go he stood like an Easter Island statue glaring at his big brother (10), then started lecturing him in that tone of voice he uses when Someone Has Done Wrong. I felt the same way, and finally snapped at 10, who had shifted from reluctance ("I...

Middle School Drama :: Feeling Left Out As a parent, hearing that someone is being mean to your child crushes your heart. Worse is hearing your child feels left out by their peers. Middle school is a transition; sadly, bullying and exclusion are nothing new. Unfortunately, our children’s interactions with their peers do not just occur in person. Social media adds another way for children to feel excluded and let down. It does not matter how well-adjusted or well-liked they are; they will feel left out eventually. Maybe they have become the third wheel, were left out of the latest social media dance craze video, or were not invited to the group get-together. However, as parents, what can we do to help? When...

Mom, I'm So Sad All The Time: Ending The Stigma Begins At Home In early 2021, both of my beautiful, amazing sons told their father and me that they were struggling with mental health issues. This was during a year that brought with it a cancer diagnosis for our 10 year old, more Covid chaos, the death of their grandfather (whom they loved dearly and saw almost weekly since their births) the death of their great-grandmother (whom they were also very close to), unrelenting anxiety and hopelessness for our 16-year old, plus the day-to-day struggles that life, middle school and high school brought with it.    As divorced co-parents, their father and I have made it clear that we are always open...

The Struggle Is Real :: Overworked Educators And Stressed-Out Moms Amidst The School Bus Saga The recent school transportation issues have highlighted a major issue in education: underpaid school bus drivers. This ongoing battle is causing stress and disruption for school leaders, educators, and parents, as they try to cope with the lack of adequate transportation. This battle has exposed how school boards and the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education fail to provide adequate support to school systems, leaving students and their families without access to reliable transportation and consequently inadequate opportunities for academic success. The struggle of both educators and stressed-out moms is real, and it's time for real solutions to be put in place. The recent school transportation issues...

Honor Roll Mom :: Keep Your Expectations Reasonable My oldest child is smart. Like mind-blowingly smart. At 14, I don’t remember a single time he ever had to study for a test. He’s able to remember vast amounts of knowledge and the adults in his life regularly look to him for guidance whenever they have a question about history or geography. He’s been on the honor roll ever since he was old enough to be on it and I’ve been the proud mom, sitting in the front row cheering him on every step of the way. With a child like this, you get used to seeing the A’s and as much as you don’t want to be “that parent," any time...