5th Grade Party Helper

My middle son graduated from 5th grade yesterday! It was a great moment, he is a truly wonderful young man. For the last 2 years he has been in a program with 24 other kids in his district. The two teachers he has had there are magnificent!! He has blossomed over his time with them; developed his talents more, found great self-confidence, made lasting friendships. We are grateful for his experiences. The graduation cermony was lovely, with awards and applause, a great slide show of their last year of grade school, and, of course, some tears. Those would be my tears, not his.

Yes, he is my third child I will be sending to middle school, so you think I'd be getting the hang of it. But, it's kind of like the first day of kindergarten. I always walk away after cheefully dropping them off, and cry just for a minute or two. It's the end of one stage of life and the beginning of another. I'm finding it isn't any easier as they get older, and I am a very sappy person. Middle school is a big step! I know I have good kids who will withstand the difficulties they face there, but it still feels like I'm throwing them to the wolves, just a little bit. It's a big place to send them off into, with swearing and off color jokes, bigger problems and more to juggle. It's a bit more like the real world. Luckily, he has lots of support, from his parents, siblings that have gone before, family, etc... And he's a level headed kid who likes to do good work. I'm not worried....just a little tearful. ;-)

So, last Friday I went to help with the big 5th grade party. It was a fun day, well planned with great parent helpers. My 5 year old got to tag along for the first half, until his kindergarten class started. He felt pretty big, helping me, getting to join in with the BIG 5th grade kids, eat some pizza, etc...

Here he is posing with some of the props the kids used as I took their pictures. What a fun day!