6th Grade (between eleven and twelve years of age) is such a clutsy time of life.
This morning, our 6th Grader almost placed his full glass of milk on the counter. Instead, it fell to the floor, spilling all over his new tackle box, the cupboard doors, the kittens and...all over me (dressed in my clean work clothes). In a rush to meet the bus, he had no time to clean up the mess.
Getting to the bus stop on time has been a hit and miss activity as well. On Monday the bus passed by without picking up W. I yelled and screamed at him and then drove him to school, an "errand" that made me late for work. This was the most stressful part of the situation (arriving late to work). I took all of my frustration out on W - delivering far more "discipline" than I should have given the circumstance.
On Tuesday he left for the bus without eating breakfast or saying goodbye. In fact, I went to his room to wake him, and then I couldn't find him five minutes later. There was no evidence that he had gotten dressed. His shoes were still in the entryway. It was a good 30 minutes before the bus was supposed to drive by; I called and called outside but there was no answer.
I left for work wondering if he had been abducted, or if he was hiding. It was a terrible feeling.
Later, I called the school. The secretary assured me that he had arrived to homeroom.
I don't remember going through such a difficult period with our two older boys. It has, however, been 7 years since we last lived through this phase. I remember "Harry Potter" and the "Twighlight" series, football and basketball practices, and watching movies with friends. This time around there is a smart phone, heavy metal music, and a real "hit and miss" with visits with friends (largely due to our work and travel schedules).
It's time to give some thought to how we can slow down and help this young man "hit the mark."
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