Different Schools, New Challenges

Hey everyone! The girls are doing well in their new school year as a 5th and 6th grader. It's been a lot of adjustments for me because they now attend different schools. There are two separate car rider lanes, different start and finish times for the school day, and various activities and events happening at both schools. I can't wait until they're back in the same school again!

I was so emotional about the split up between the two of them because I enjoy having them together.  The girls are like attached to the hip, well maybe they were like besties a few years back, now they get on each other nerves and want to strangle one another.

Michelle has been loving being top dog at her school now, with it being her last year being in elementary.  It's crazy how old and taller she looks among a sea of little kids from lower grades.  I don't worry about her too much being alone because she is well-known among her peers, teachers and faculty.  The teachers and faculty know me very well too since I'm always at the school.  So, I know Michelle is in good hands.

As for Lauren, attending middle school and being at a new school for the first time in 6 years, I was a nervous wreck for her.

Lauren is the complete opposite of Michelle.  Michelle is a people person, an extrovert like myself; she is always with a bunch of her friends, full of life.

Lauren, on the other hand, is an introvert.  She keeps to herself, hardly speaks, and has a few friends with it being hard for her to make new ones.

Right now, Lauren is going through the awkward stage of her life.  Everything to her seems boring, useless, and pointless.  It does get to the point of being annoying of her always being depressing and emotionless, and I worry kids at her new school will find her as weird and a loner.

Because of her awkwardness, before she returned to school for the new school year, I decided to buy her a cell phone, just in case she needs me.  I don't ever want her to feel that she doesn't have someone to call if she needs help. 

That's why I love the fact that I work from home, I'm always close by and ready to drive to the school if she needs me quickly.

And thank goodness for such a caring staff at Lauren's middle school.  They saw how overwhelmed and the nervousness I felt when I attended Lauren's open house. Both the principal and the assistant principal assured me everything would be okay.  If Lauren or myself ever needed assistance, we can stop by their offices anytime.

The middle school is humongous, very structured kind of like military-style, all white walls, unlike the walls covered in colorful artwork like how it is in elementary. 

The school to me felt like a prison because the location of the majority of Lauren's classes is like it's in a basement with white brick walls and no windows.  That worried me a bit if there were an emergency evacuation situation, where would the children go?  But I'm pretty sure the school has an escape plan set.

So far, Lauren has gotten used to going to different classes.  She prefers it this way instead of sitting in the same class all day like elementary.  She's feeling more mature, and more in her element with her peers around her age.

But there is a class Lauren is not enjoying at all and that is band class.  She regrets choosing it.  Her instrument of choice is the flute, and it's giving her a hard time to learn, so she's telling me she wants to drop out.

I told her with everything we do in life we had to learn how to do it, same goes for learning how to play an instrument.  If people just give up because they didn't know how to do something, they'll start missing out on great opportunities in life.  I do not want her to be a quitter. 

I also shared with her the many failures I had with this blog and in life in general.  And yes, I wanted to quit too but look at me now!  I have been handsomely rewarded and able to spend more time with both of my girls.

Every day, I work on Lauren's confidence and letting her know that practice makes perfect.

Thanks to the uplifting talk, one day when I picked her up from school she proudly shared that she now knows how to play, "Mary has a Little Lamb!"  I can tell, by the end of the school year, she'll be a pro at reading notes and playing her flute. Go Lauren, go!

I can tell this school year is going to be a challenge due to the separation and other ongoing activities throughout the year.  But together, the girls and I will make it through one day at a time.

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