Mom of a Junior High Boy

When a boy enters junior high, a lot changes.  Obviously, at some point, those changes will be physical, but for my son I’m talking more about his emotional awareness.  His mom and dad are not the end all be all.  Even if he wants them to be.  He has to remember more all on his own.  He has to remember his locker combination, the right notebook for the right class, the location of that classroom, and even a pair of clean underwear for after that awkward locker room shower.

I can’t do any of that for him.  I can say it to him a hundred times, but in the end, he’ll have to remember.  I can tell him I love him and show him by waking him up on time every morning, washing his clothes (and usually folding them too), making him meals, and reminding him of everything he has to be thankful for.  But in the end, he’ll still probably moan when I walk in the room to say goodnight because it means that it’s lights out, or he’ll go to Dad when he wants to know something about sports, or science, or danger.  But I’ll continue to rescue him by pointing him in the right direction, towards faith, responsibility, cleanliness, and kindness.  And I’ll keep coaching him to use more words to communicate with others.   And maybe think before he does or says anything.  Maybe he’ll lose less and gain more that way.  We can all hope for that in our lives.

I will say he is the most adaptable kid I know.  I’m so proud of him for taking on all the challenges facing him this year.  Middle school is hard enough without being in a new school in a new state.  Tackle football is hard, let alone when you’re 65 pounds playing against boys bigger than your dad.  He attempted his first tackle last night.  He basically ricocheted right off the opponent.  But he was brave, fast, and fearless.  And God will reward him for that tenacity.  He’s already earned the respect of his teammates.  He told me one night at bedtime that he saw those bigger boys as his bodyguards.  “They’re really nice, Mom.”

And then there was the day I overheard a bunch of the younger cross country boys telling him that “small is better.  It’s cool to be small.”  They all look up to him now because he ran once with them.  They were asking him when he’d run again.  He’s not crazy about the 6am wake-up required for practice. I can’t wait to see my son grow into his role as a leader and see where God uses his weaknesses as strengths.

For today, I’m just hoping he remembered to get his book at the library and doesn’t leave his water bottle and smelly socks in his locker over the weekend. Again.