Transitioning into Middle School

image courtesy of http://rachaelmoshman.com

When my son was getting ready to start middle school, I remember breathing a huge sigh of relief. I thought that I could take a step back and allow my twelve year old son the space that he needed as a growing adolescent. He was no longer the little boy that once loved playing with Dragon Ball Z action figures or riding his bike through our neighborhood for hours. He was getting older, more mature, and a

little more independent. My son certainly didn't need me to look over his shoulder anymore.

Scratch that. Once I attended our back to school night orientation, I was proven wrong. I sat there amongst

image courtesy schools.graniteschools.org

a sea of parents and listened to the assistant principal tell all of us about how crucial the transitional stage
into middle school was. He stressed that instead of distancing ourselves from our kids, we should pay much closer attention to them. Our kids need our guidance even more during their adolescent years.

It is important to understand that these young adolescents are venturing into an unknown territory. They have left their comfort zone, a place where they have been accustomed to the same building and people, for the last several years. Not to mention, as young teenagers, they are undergoing physical, hormonal, and emotional changes. Self image and socialization becomes the focus, adding to the pressure to be academically successful. Suddenly, these young teenagers are expected to act like young adults, which may be a sort of culture shock for these kids who were just recently coddled as elementary children. Naturally, the children have to learn to be more self reliant, as this is a part of growing up. However, the sudden adjustment can be a little jarring and often not so simple to handle, as parents may assume.


One way to start dealing with this transition is to help prepare your child for the first day of school.


Here are some tips to ease your child's anxiety:

• Start by sitting down with your child and having an open conversation about his or her questions, and fears, as well as expectations for the upcoming year. An open dialogue is key.

• Before the first day of school make sure that your child has all necessary school supplies, and that his or her school lunch is prepaid. These things seem very simple, but are very essential. They are more self conscious during their early adolescent years and should not have to worry about not having paper and pencils on their first day of school.

• Familiarize your child with the new school. Attend the back to school orientation, or schedule a time with a school staff member so that your child can practice his or her schedule a few times. If possible, take one of your child's friends with you. They can learn the map of the school together, which will make it a fun experience.

• Have your child practice using the combination lock of his or her new locker. This will be one less thing to stress over on the first day or week of school.

• Meet with teachers as an icebreaker. Getting to know the teachers will ease that first day stress and anxiety. This will also give you an opportunity to exchange contact information so that you can stay in touch with your child's teachers.

• Again, keep the lines of communication open with your child. This can be a shaky transition for your growing adolescent and it's important to be there if any issues arise.

I hope that these suggestions help!