My growing boy

May was such an emotional month for me, mainly because my first born, Blake, would be turning 11 and it was his final year of elementary school and fifth grade. Several weeks ago, there was a parent meeting for all new sixth graders at the middle school.  As I headed to the meeting, I was getting choked up. How did we get here, how am I old enough to had a middle schooler? I wondered if any of the other moms were feeling the same as me??   I’m a big baby when it comes to my kids getting older. I just want them to stay young forever.

I didn’t expect it to hit me so hard, I thought I was going to hear all about the school and the laptop that the sixth graders get to do all their work on. The principals introduced themselves and one of them began talking about adolescence. I wasn’t expecting this! I know it’s coming but to hear her talking about how my baby boy is going to be changing from being into name brand clothes, to his voice, to his independence, to liking girls - I wasn’t liking it. A single tear from my right eye fell down my cheek. Wasn’t my little baby just born? How could these things be right around the corner for us?

That night, the boys had baseball practice and the house was quiet after Brody went to sleep. I started thinking, wow, three weeks left of fifth grade. Three short weeks left of school where they still have to raise their hands in the cafeteria and walk in lines.  The sweet little times spent with him at school (where he actually wants me there) are coming to an end...Christmas and Valentine’s parties, eating lunch in the cafeteria, Field Days, plays and Book Fairs.   I lost it thinking of all these fun memories of elementary-even the simple things such as Blake losing his two front teeth! I cried and cried and cried some more. The tears were bittersweet, sad tears that my baby has one foot in the door of childhood and another foot in the door in adolescence and happy tears that my boy is on his way!  There will be many more milestones that he will achieve and poor Blake, he's just going to have to deal with my waterworks!  I’m such a proud momma for the young man he has become!