Middle School Mom Support Group {Entering a New Phase of Motherhood}

It’s a new school year, and I feel like I’m on the edge of new territory. We have a 6 year old and a 6th grader, and I can’t even wrap my mind around it. Our 6th grader is taller than me, right on the verge of becoming a teenager. 

Recently I saw a wall of brochures advertising different types of groups to join, and one of the groups was a “Middle School Moms Support Group.” Although I laughed when I saw it, now I wonder if there is one in our area. This isn’t about my son; he is truly wonderful. It’s just that the middle school years are full of so many incredible changes.

I want him to remember that he is enough through every phase and change. While there will be fun adventures and changes that make no sense to him, this is a time that can be so confusing. In the midst of all those transitions, the things that are consistent stand out. I want the love and support that he feels from us, his parents, to be one of those constants.  

I want to cherish these in between moments, the moments in between childhood and adolescence. I am holding on to the fact that he still wants me to read with him every night before bedtime and that he isn’t embarrassed to be seen with me. I love that when he hangs out with his friends they are funny, silly, and entertaining, yet on the verge of becoming young men. All of it is so in-between stages, while still being in its own unique stage. He still gives me hugs and tells my I’m the best mom, but I know he is noticing girls his age.

While it’s an in between time, it’s also such a critical time. While he is getting more and more independent and becoming his own self more fully, he needs us as his parents to be a strong foundation for all of the questions and new beginnings. I want to hold on to these moments before he is a teenager, because I can already see glimpses of the amazing young man that he is becoming. I want him to have fun, but to also make wise choices. I’m also going to try to have a strong sense of humor over the next few years as we traverse these new adventures. 

All of it reminds me to cherish every phase that he’s going through, because as a I look at him and then his 6 year old brother, I see how quickly the phases happen. It reminds me how fascinating each phase is all on its own.

I am reminding myself to stay in the moment and enjoy who my middle schooler is right now. I also can’t wait to see who he becomes.

Stephanie
Stephanie grew up with her family in Kirkwood, Missouri. She earned a degree in Elementary and Early Childhood Education from Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina, and then a Montessori degree in Atlanta, Georgia.  She also lived in Oklahoma for several years, and now calls Baton Rouge home. She taught PreK and Elementary school part time, full time, and had some stay-at home mom time when her babies were little. She teaches PreK four at Episcopal School of Baton Rouge, and she loves being a teacher mom. In her free time, she enjoys going to Barre class, cooking, traveling, singing, girls' nights, trips to the beach, and spending time with friends and family. She and her husband have two adventurous, adorable boys, ages seven and thirteen, who keep life exciting and hilarious. 

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