Independence

Even though Jack is still a month away from becoming an official teenager, he seems like a different child than the one finishing up 6th grade last year. He likes naps after school. He'd rather play his itouch or wii games than hang out with us. He's thinks it's awesome when he purposely breaks something (his brother's bed and sister's scooter). He doesn't want any suggestions of what to wear or how to do his hair.

One thing that remained the same is his determination to get good grades. He finished 7th grade with 19 A's and 2 A-'s. He worked really hard and was hoping for another 4.0 this last quarter but ended up getting an A- in his computer technical skills class because of his grade on his last project -- business cards. I had to agree with the teacher. He chose an orange font with shadows. It was tricky to read. Straight A's or not, we are very proud of him!

Being honored as a member of The National Junior Honor Society of Secondary Schools.

Refreshments with a few of his best friends

At his final band concert last month, he decided to exercise his independence with his choice of shoes. I tried to talk him into wearing his sunday shoes but then realized it wasn't worth the battle. I remember being a teenager and wanting more freedom and control. It's hard as a parent to let go of that control and watch and hope your child makes the right choices but clothing and hair seem like minor things to give up.

This teenage phase is still new to us with Jack being the oldest. I'm nervous for next year. 8th Grade seems like the year when kids become more apathetic and friends become the most important thing in their life. I know I'm going to need a lot of patience with this next phase. I have a hard time not being in control but I also know how important it is for kids to be able to make their own choices and learn from the consequences of those decisions. That's easier said than done. There's so many decisions as a parent in this digital era--facebook? cell phone? itouch with internet access? private email? sleepovers? And there's no right or wrong answer, just what works best for each family. We need to get it figured out quickly because we're going to have a houseful of teenagers in no time. Wish me luck!