Times, They are a Changin'
A brief check in from the land of eternal summer (and that's not exactly a good thing . . . it's HOT here!)
I'm such a basket case from anxiety and stress that this morning, my husband grabbed me and (in his calmest, most reassuring voice) told me I have got to calm down before I give myself a stroke. He played the "you have to relax, your family needs you, your kids need a mom" card. Yep. Low blow.
I wish I could get a real handle on it, but honestly, I just think it will take time. I stress a lot in general-- I've blogged about my growing problems with anxiety on here before-- but right now things are extra challenging. You see, not only are we starting a new school year (always a busy time with lots of change) we are sending M off to high school. No big deal, I'm sure-- or at least it won't feel like a big deal in a couple of months. The trouble is we have to get to that point.
So many things to address as far as getting the whole family on a new schedule, plus just straight out worrying about how she's going to cope, both academically and socially. She's planning on a heavy course load, and socially-- well, this might be like tossing a goldfish in with piranhas, and that's what scares me. Nothing like taking a ultra quiet girl from a relatively small charter environment and tossing her in a high school with 3,000 kids to create some trauma. Or it could be fine. M is quite secure in herself, barely even touched by worry about what her peers think. She might just hang out on the fringes, watch everything go on around her with detached amusement, and focus on her classes.
It's the unknown that killing me. Completely out of my control too (as it should be), but she's my baby.
Then there's the other kids. J is starting junior high, and that could be interesting, but as long as J can keep up with the increase in work load, I think he'll be fine. He's got a group of kids he likes to hang out with, and he's pretty much as oblivious to negative peer opinions as M. B is super excited to have the same teacher and many of the same kids in her class this year, and I'm not worried about her at all. (She, unlike M or J, is extra sensitive to peer stuff, but with the same group of kids, I'm not too concerned about it. She'll have her moments, but probably weather it just fine like she did last year.)
K is my other big worry spot. I've met his teacher and she seems wonderful, but K is a slow-to-warm up kind of kid, and he just isn't enthusiastic about the new year. Plus, he's really not getting enough sleep. In the true tradition of the rest of the kids, he will not fall asleep before about 10pm. It's ridiculous. No 7 year old can go to bed that late, get up at 6, and have a good attitude about school. It just doesn't work.
Anyway, I suspect that about a month from now, we'll all be settled into our new schedule and I'll be back to the normal level of stress (with only occasional panic attacks). Somehow I've just got to get through the next few weeks!
I'm such a basket case from anxiety and stress that this morning, my husband grabbed me and (in his calmest, most reassuring voice) told me I have got to calm down before I give myself a stroke. He played the "you have to relax, your family needs you, your kids need a mom" card. Yep. Low blow.
I wish I could get a real handle on it, but honestly, I just think it will take time. I stress a lot in general-- I've blogged about my growing problems with anxiety on here before-- but right now things are extra challenging. You see, not only are we starting a new school year (always a busy time with lots of change) we are sending M off to high school. No big deal, I'm sure-- or at least it won't feel like a big deal in a couple of months. The trouble is we have to get to that point.
So many things to address as far as getting the whole family on a new schedule, plus just straight out worrying about how she's going to cope, both academically and socially. She's planning on a heavy course load, and socially-- well, this might be like tossing a goldfish in with piranhas, and that's what scares me. Nothing like taking a ultra quiet girl from a relatively small charter environment and tossing her in a high school with 3,000 kids to create some trauma. Or it could be fine. M is quite secure in herself, barely even touched by worry about what her peers think. She might just hang out on the fringes, watch everything go on around her with detached amusement, and focus on her classes.
It's the unknown that killing me. Completely out of my control too (as it should be), but she's my baby.
Then there's the other kids. J is starting junior high, and that could be interesting, but as long as J can keep up with the increase in work load, I think he'll be fine. He's got a group of kids he likes to hang out with, and he's pretty much as oblivious to negative peer opinions as M. B is super excited to have the same teacher and many of the same kids in her class this year, and I'm not worried about her at all. (She, unlike M or J, is extra sensitive to peer stuff, but with the same group of kids, I'm not too concerned about it. She'll have her moments, but probably weather it just fine like she did last year.)
K is my other big worry spot. I've met his teacher and she seems wonderful, but K is a slow-to-warm up kind of kid, and he just isn't enthusiastic about the new year. Plus, he's really not getting enough sleep. In the true tradition of the rest of the kids, he will not fall asleep before about 10pm. It's ridiculous. No 7 year old can go to bed that late, get up at 6, and have a good attitude about school. It just doesn't work.
Anyway, I suspect that about a month from now, we'll all be settled into our new schedule and I'll be back to the normal level of stress (with only occasional panic attacks). Somehow I've just got to get through the next few weeks!
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