Tuesday

With a new High Schooler this year, who has to catch the bus at 6:50a.m. - yes, as in 6:50 in the morning - we've had to move our family scripture reading time up to 6:30a.m. now.

Oh...it's painful to get up so early (with my late nights @ work)...my eyes hardly even work to read properly!

BUT, one day a week, TUESDAY, the High School has "late start" where they start a whole hour later than normal. So, we get to "sleep in" that one day, and we move scripture reading time until 7:30a.m. But, that also doesn't give Kyle enough time to walk/ride his bike to Jr. High School on time, so I agreed to drive him on Tuesdays since I've gotta PROTECT my one sleeping in day!

Today is Tuesday - which meant I drove Kyle, my 7th Grader to school. This is now the 4th week of school, but the emotion that rises to the surface as I watch him leave my car and head into the [big, bad] Jr. High on those days hasn't gone away yet. It totally surprised me on the first day of school when I actually felt SAD when I dropped him off!

What was happening?

Usually, in the past, I didn't have one ounce of understanding for mothers who cried or freaked out on the first day of school. I have always referred to it as "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year!" Have I turned into One of THEM?!!?

I think the big issue is that Kyle seems so little.

So innocent.

So young.

So nice.

So NOT a Jr. High student.

It doesn't just seem this way - it is this way, because technically, he isn't old enough to be in Jr. High since way back when he skipped a grade. He's only 11 yrs. old - his age difference compared to his grade has never been blatantly obvious to me until this year -- and the truth is I feel scared and stressed for him when I see him heading in to the "lone and dreary world." Because Jr. High can be a terrifying interesting place. Every time I've driven him to school, I think silently in my mind, "You're Not in Kansas Elementary School anymore!" and then I'm hit with a wave of sadness. This doesn't happen to me when I say good-bye to him from our home, it's just those few times, so far, that I've actually witnessed him going into the lion's den. And I stay parked in front of the school (he doesn't know this, because he never gives me another look back) until I see him run up to the building, (a sure sign of a little 7th grader!) and go inside the doors, all the way out of my sight -- feeling I should save him, but knowing I have to let him go.

I asked him if there were some tall 9th graders at his school.

YES!! Some are as big as Dad!

So, picture this:

9th Grader - 6'3" & 205 lbs.

Kyle - 4'10" & 80 lbs.


Got the picture? Maybe this will help.

9th Grader:

Kyle:

Tuesdays do weird things to me!

For the record, he claims everything is "OK." (Still not a man of many words!)