Junior High

Something happened….

Gabriel grew up.

I always say it’s awful that my kids are growing up. But really, it’s not. Gabriel went to Junior High this week and truth be told, I was probably more nervous than him. Coming from his class of 9 kids, going to a class of 70+ is a big change, but also a welcome change. I had hopes that he would love the changes and grow into them. He sure was ready for it all!

He rocked it.

I tell him every morning when he leaves for school that I love him and I’m proud of him, and lately I’ve added ‘Rock junior high/middle school today!’. He responds with ‘Are you going to say that every day?’ Me: ‘Yep’.

Exactly what I hoped would happen, did. It’s been amazing to watch and be a part of this week. He’s confident, organized, challenged in new and different (sometimes uncomfortable) ways. Hard does not equal bad! He’s on the cross country team and brought home is team uniform tonight and I felt nothing for pride that he’s my son! Yay! He’s standing tall and taking ownership. He’s enjoying learning to march in band, singing as a choir, learning Spanish, feeling more responsibility and mastering his locker combination 😉 Totally cliche, but he’s blossoming.

He had some really great formative experiences this summer as well; playing on a fun baseball team, participating in weeklong Totus Tuus, turning 13, learning new woodworking and automotive skills on his Bronco, registering his first car under HIS name, running weekly with his cross country team, being a prominent altar server, earning blue ribbons at fair, running a successful and quite lucrative mowing business, taking more leadership roles at home, helping out at the food pantry, yada yada yada. I’m just so proud of the person he’s becoming.

Some day he’ll appreciate that I wrote these words for him 🙂

“Children are apt to live up to what you believe of them” – Lady Bird Johnson