That’s right.
Seventh grade. How on earth did that happen? I promise it was just two years ago when I walked her down the hall to her Kindergarten classroom and now she’s a seventh grader. And it’s so weird because seventh grade is a year I distinctly remember.
I started seventh grade in a brand new school in a brand new city. I remember walking into school that first day feeling something in the realm of overwhelming nausea and cautious excitement. I know that I wore a pale pink Izod with Jordache pleated jeans, a ribbon belt and a pair of pink Keds. And the girls at my new school didn’t wear Jordache jeans, they wore Levi 501’s and so I had to have a pair immediately.
This is me in seventh grade.
You don’t want to know how long it took me to get my hair to look like that. It took some serious effort. And, as it turns out, curling your bangs under with a curling iron isn’t a great idea.
Also, P spoke at our Community Worship Service on Sunday about how we can become complacent about the good things God has put in our lives and we need to remember to count our blessings. So middle school girls everywhere should take a moment right now to thank God in heaven that the bi-level haircut isn’t a thing during their junior high years.
Caroline woke up bright and early for her first day. And she was dressed and ready to go at least twenty minutes before we had to leave the house. This was a nice change from the way we ended last school year which looked more like a NASCAR pit crew tire change than a peaceful morning. I realize it won’t last through this Thursday, but I’ll take it for now. It helps significantly that she has Athletics first period every day so from here on out she just wears her gym clothes to school and has to pack what she’s changing into for the rest of the day. This will hopefully eliminate fourteen early morning outfit changes that result in clothes being draped over the chair in her bedroom and my need for a nerve pill.
I managed to get her to pose for a few pictures before we left and my heart kind of caught in my throat because she already looks so big this year compared to last year.
We got in the car and I prayed for her day and the school year as we drove to school. And I guess my voice cracked a little bit because she patted me on the arm and said, “Don’t worry, Mom. After you drop me off you can have a good cry and go get a Chick-Fil-A biscuit.”
Dang. She’s on to me.
But I’ll have you know I didn’t go get a Chick-Fil-A biscuit. However, I did cry. I do it every year on the first day. It’s just such a marker for the passage of time. And I think I was especially sensitive because it seems like so many of my friends have dropped a kid off at college this year. All those posts and pictures of dorm rooms and packed suitcases nearly did me in. One of my friends put up a pic of the day his college-bound son was born and captioned it “Time flies when you’re having fun” and I thought I was going to have to get in the bed.
So I had my little cry and then worked on a few things I’d been needing to get done around the house and took the girls to the dog park where Mabel was fully-psychotic. A lady there with her dog remarked, “I just love watching your dogs run! They are like poetry in motion!” which made me question what kind of poetry she reads.
I ended up meeting Gulley for an unplanned lunch and then ran a few more errands before it was time to pick Caroline up from school. I was anxious to hear how her day had gone, especially since she’d texted me that morning asking about her locker shelves and when I texted back and asked how the day was so far, she replied, “I’ll tell you later. Got to go.”
Really? That’s all I get? Got to go. She could’ve typed “good” with less effort and eased her mother’s mind.
As it turns out, she had a great day. She got in the car full of stories about her new classes and her new teachers and was thrilled with almost all of it except for the part where she has a bottom locker. But I told her some things are in our lives just to build character.
And she should be thankful her character-building doesn’t involve a bi-level haircut.
I, too, had the bi level hair cut in jr. high. It took at least 20 minutes to curl the sides back to form a perfectly straight vertical line down the back of my head. My baby started her first day as a Spanish teacher yesterday. Time certainly does fly!
my “baby” starts his junior year today and he too was complaining about a bottom locker AGAIN this year
My twin girls have their first ever college classes today. Just before reading this post, they sent me a picture of themselves with the caption, “first ones to class!” Proud momma moment 🙂
She is so beautiful! I cannot believe how grown up she is. Your story about the text made me laugh. Sent my #3 to a new school this year, where he didn’t know a soul, and I was TERRIFIED. I get a text from him mid-day, saying “Kinda struggling.” DEAR LORD, I literally got on my knees and texted all my friends to pray, etc. etc.—I was so worried. He got in the car and said he’d had a good day. I asked him what the text was all about, and he said, “Oh, nothing–I was just sitting at lunch with someone I didn’t know well and we ran out of conversation topics.” ARE YOU KIDDING ME? You gave me heart failure over conversation topics?
This is HILARIOUS!
When will kids figure out that we mamas take every word they say very seriously and very literally!
It’s the boots she has on!!!! Gotta love the boots on the first day of school!!!!!
I am a parent who dropped off a kid at college this year…but it’s my 2nd…and don’t believe the lie that it’s easier than the 1st. Time does fly and they grow up too fast! I am excited to tell you that my son is at Texas A&M which makes me think of you. I just know we are one step closer to being friends because we have this in common now. In my head I’m going to see you on campus at some point…you know on a game weekend when there are a million people there. When I do, I plan to talk to you like a total fan girl so prepare yourself. Oh and Gulley will be there too. I hope Caroline has a great year! Gig ‘Em!
I remember & miss those days. I have 2 girls and loved it when a friend rode home with us one year. I thought my head would spin off my shoulders hearing some of the high school stories though! They chattered away and I loved it! One of the hardest is when they start driving and you lose that car time. Now I’m sniffing.
I too loved carpooling my daughter’s friends around in high school. I learned all the best (??) Insider info by just being quiet and letting them chatter!?
Beckey
http://reallyreallyrealhousewives.blogspot.com
http://queenbsbusywork.etsy.com
First off….Caroline is beautiful! Secondly, my 7th grade school picture is seriously almost identical except my shirt was blue! Same haircut!
Melanie we are the same age and I dropped my youngest off at college this weekend and oh how I wish it was 7th grade! Im shouting FOUL! I should still have one at home with me messing up the house 🙂 blessings on the new school year 🙂
We moved my baby to college this year – I’ve been tearing up intermittently throughout the weekend and even now. But I love this post as I remember 7th grade as a period of time that should be BURIED. It was awful so I’m happy to see that C is smiling and rocking those boots!
The bi-level haircut was the worst haircut in the history of women’s hair…period! I had it too and I just cringe looking at old pictures. My firstborn began his freshman year in college very far away last week. When we left I cried so much my husband said he wouldn’t take me back unless I promise not to act like that again.
My baby just turned 3 yesterday. The fact that you started blogging when C was almost 3 and now she’s starting 7th grade makes me want to curl up and cry about how fast time goes by. When AG asked to read “Oh The Places You’ll Go” last night I had to tell her “not tonight”. I knew I wouldn’t make it through even the first couple pages without a full on ugly cry. Time really does fly when you’re having fun. 🙂
Sadly, I don’t have children so I can’t relate to the feelings of ‘time flying’ so my only comment is about the the park lady and her poetry- she must be referring to the haikus – they, like the dogs, are lovely, if not a little manic!! In a good way 🙂
Keep on keepin on Miss Melanie- you are doing so right by Caroline and she will look back on all her school years knowing she was loved by you (and the interwebz) all throughout- and beyond!
Well, I am having all the feelings reading this. I dropped my “baby” off at college last week. Halfway across the country. I’ve been doing pretty well, actually, until I read this post and saw Caroline. How beautiful she is. How grown-up she’s becoming. And remembering how I felt when my daughter was in 7th grade. That old expression about the hours are long, but the days are short? SO. TRUE. I don’t think we are ever able to soak in the moments enough to satisfy us when our child is grown and out of the house. So here is what I’m doing. I’m looking at the time she’s away in little chunks. We dropped her off on August 19. I will see her on parents weekend in October. She’s home for Thanksgiving in November. A couple of weeks after that she will be home for three weeks for Christmas. So on and so forth. With LOTS of prayer and deep, cleansing breaths.
This made me cry! Especially your friend’s post about time flying when you are having fun. I LOVED the years with my four babies at home and it sure did fly. But here’s the thing. My four year old grandson will start kindergarten next year! I cannot believe the grandbabies are growing up FASTER than my children did! How does this happen?
Caroline is beautiful! 7th grade was one of my very, very favorite years in school. I hope she has a great year!
Is there a way to watch the services from your community worship? I would love to watch the one about being grateful, it is always a challenge in my life! Always love your blog, I hope Caroline has an amazing 7th grade year!!
My youngest child started her LAST first day of school yesterday…….she’s now a college senior. This is the last year I will have a child in school! How in the heck did it happen so fast?
Wasn’t I just driving her older brother to pre-school? And on top of all that she decided not to play field hockey this last year of college because of some injuries. I want what’s best for her but I am just heartbroken…. 20+ years of dropping off, picking up, packing lunches and coolers, driving to tournaments, washing uniforms, buying gallons and gallons of gatorade, screaming and cheering from the sidelines….all done. 20+ years went by in the blink of an eye!! Yup I’ve shed quite a few tears this week.
My daughter (our only child too) starts 7th grade exactly 2wks from today!!! I have no idea where the time went. I’m pretty sure we were just walking, hand-in-hand through the neighborhood, to go to afternoon kindergarten. She’s such a neat kid and I’m so thankful to say she’s my daughter. Like you, I’m sure to have a good cry after she heads out the door in a couple of weeks. On a lighter note…..can we just say that the bi-level hairstyle (with a perm no less-eliminated the need for a curling iron ) is a thing of 80’s lore!!!! It is my great hope that none of my photos are lurking about 😉
First, I am glad that bi-level haircut never made its way to SoCal in the 80’s! I guess we had other character building moments with the explosion of sun-in all over our heads!
This morning I just dropped off my favorite middle son at middle school…6th grade. I sat in the parking lot bawling. He has been home schooled for the past two years because of his learning disabilities. He is almost 11 and can only write his first and last name, thank God I married a man with only 4 letters to his name compared to my 10 letter last name, proof God knows what he is doing. Anyways leaving him there with his iPad so many questions ran through my brain. Is he gonna make it? Are they going to make fun of him? Joshua 1:9 and Romans 8:37-39 flooded my brain. My son walked into class, found his seat and then got up. Walked over to the girl sitting by herself and stuck out his hand saying, “my name is Corban, it’s nice to meet you.” I had to leave before the water works began again. He has the heart of a “Lyon.” Thanks Melanie for the laugh this morning it shook me out of worrying about my boy. Oh and I’m not laughing at you but with you!
My “baby” boy started his senior year of his school yesterday. Which I have a sneaky suspicion is supposed to make me old or something… whatever!
Beckey
http://reallyreallyrealhousewives.blogspot.com
http://queenbsbusywork.etsy.com
Oh, law! Does anyone else hear “Sunrise, Sunset” playing in the background? I just can’t even…
(My 14 year old boys started 8th grade at a new school, new city last week and I’m just a little tender… They’ve handled it like champs – they’re boys! but the mama has been a little edgy with the emotions. “Is this the little boy I carried….” GAh!)
Reading this made ME cry and my kids are 30 and 27!
Ohemgee. That 7th grade picture could be me. Except my Izod was striped and the blue eyeshadow was, well, let’s call it artistic. Caroline looks so much cuter than I ever did in 7th grade. Love her top and those sassy cowboy boots. Cheers to a fabulous year for her!
Caroline’s outfit is fantastic! 7th grade sure has changed through the years. I was wearing Sasson Jeans and lavender moccasins. It was 1979.
Clearly the dog park bystander has been reading up on Mabel’s poems and loves seeing a haiku in action!
Yay for 7th grade! I have a 7th grader too…with a bottom locker. What the heck is that? My 5’9″ daughter has a bottom locker and the 4’11” boy has a top one . Middle School logic, I guess.
Here’s to a great year! And C looked fantastic!
While your picture sports the typical 7th grade haircut and shirt of our day, you somehow had already mastered the soft smile so kudos to you. Caroline looks great. Wondering is she’s back to her generations 7th grade look of leggings and big boxy t shirt?
Oh! How I hope 7th grade is good to C. I’m 34 and still traumatized from 7th grade, the mean girl and all her minions. So thankful I grew up before social media, for I am certain, if she would have had the internet and Facebook as a weapon, I wouldn’t be here to send my baby off to 2nd grade.
All of my good juju is being sent her way, for nothing scares me more than junior high girls.
Perhaps the lady at the dog part is a fan of E.E. Cummings or maybe Keruac? I’m glad C had a great first day. She definitely looks the part of a 7th grader in her pic.
I get the sentimentality. I sent my only baby to preschool for the first time yesterday. It doesn’t seem time for that yet. I didn’t cry though. I mean, after three and half years glued together, I’m enjoying to two days to myself.
I had the same haircut in seventh grade. I’m so glad to hear you call it a “bi-level”, I always referred to it as my mullet 🙂
Bi-level sounds much classier 😉
Exactly! We called them bi-levels back then but every other person has called them a mullet. I play Pat Benatar for this hairstyle. At least that’s why I had my done that way.
Amen to the bi-level hair cut – egads, those photos will never die. I am still crying – my baby is a senior, and another already at college, year 2. I don’t know how it happens. She’s just gorgeous. You’re going to need serious weaponry to keep the boys away from her!