Advice for Middle School

  1. Nothing, absolutely NOTHING is as bad as it seems once the sun sets and rises again. A new day always brings a new perspective. 

That note I wrote about having a crush on a boy that was found and copied and posted all over the school? Yes, I laugh about it now. And possibly laughed about it a week after it happened, even though the day it happened I wanted the ground to swallow me up whole.

To quote Wilson-Phillips, "Hold On For One More Day."

Things get better. Always.

2. There will be kids in middle school who look like they may not be able to tie their own shoes and kids who look like they drove to school and voted in the last election. Be nice to everyone, it all evens out in high school.

3. Adopt a "more the merrier" attitude. Don't form exclusive cliques that purposefully leave others out, and do not try to join exclusive cliques. They are meaningless, and hurt other people's feelings.

Of course it's impossible to invite everyone to everything, but also help all of us parents, including myself, try not to do anything to encourage an "us" and "them" mentality. Sometimes it may be the parents, while trying to relive the glory days, who make things so much worse by trying to make sure our children are liked and included.

4. Realize that there is no group, club, team, grade, or clique that makes you who you are. Only the way you treat others defines who you are and is what truly counts once that graduation cap is tossed into the air.

5. The kids that act "too cool for school" and who bully and pick on and make fun of other kids? Many of them will still be sleeping on mama's couch into their 30s.

6. Try to be organized. A large factor in whether you succeed in middle school has to do with learning organization and responsibility.

7. Middle schooler, appreciate your parents. You aren't exactly the easiest person to be around at this time in your life.

8. No extra curricular activity, no matter how much you love it, is as important as academics. What if Lebron James had irreparable damage to his leg his senior year?

9. Learn to dance. It will come in handy so much more than you realize.

10. People who act better than you secretly feel inferior to you.

11. Treat everyone with kindness and respect because they may be going through something unimaginable, and your kindness could be the one thing that changes a life for the better.

12. Embrace quirkiness and weirdness in yourself and others. It's what makes people interesting.

13. Enjoy this time in your life. These are some of the most care-free days you will ever have. Some days will be doozies, but for the most part, these days may be some of the best. Enjoy!