Ch-ch-changes

Last week, Elisabeth blogged at Romance Worth Killing For about her youngest's transition into a "real" bed and her struggles with that.

I can relate. This year, Monster #1 started middle school. You wouldn't think there'd be a huge change there -- it's a small school with all grade levels on one campus -- so basically the kids move from one set of classrooms to the next as they shift from elementary to middle school to high school.

But it's different. Boy, is it different.

There's a lot more homework. We've had some ten o'clock nights (and even one eleven o'clock night). The flip side of that is that Monster #1 seems more motivated and organized, more responsible. He's always been a good student, but I also knew he was a little lazy on a lot of levels -- school was easy. He could coast. With our middle school faculty? Not so much.

There's also been a shift in our homelife with this transition. I'll be the first to admit our scheduling tended to revolve around my schedule: school events, teaching, writing/editing, etc. But with Monster #1 involved in extracurriculars now (he does two. He wants to add a third, but I'm not so sure about that yet), we're having to adjust our routines to accommodate that.

Finally, the biggest change is probably that I'm learning to let him go, a little bit at a time. He doesn't need my help quite as much anymore, although I'm aware he still needs me. Through this transition, I'm seeing glimpses of what the shift to high school and later to college and independence will be like. It's a little scary. It's a little exciting.

But I don't think I'd change a thing.