Monday, August 23, 2010

Middle School Blues

Hey Everyone! It's MiniMe. Can we talk?

My mom (Native Mom) is soooo annoying! She made me do my homework all night BEFORE I could have dessert. And even though my math teacher is really mean, my mom says she "doesn't want to hear anything about the teacher, this is about doing your homework!" I mean, c'mon!

Tonight she dug around in my backpack and got all wigged out because she found some fliers that my teachers had sent home about their classroom and what we're learning and "expectations," blah, blah, blah! And apparently (big sigh!) me and mom were supposed to sign some of these and send them back, like, last Friday? Mom got mad cause I didn't give them to her and send them back in on time. I said "Chill!" but I said it really soft so I don't think Mom heard me.

I heard my Mom telling her friends that middle school is supposed to be a hard adjustment. Must be true, because my Mom is having a really hard time adjusting. All of a sudden, she's all over my case and even took my TV out of my room until "I can prove that I can handle my homework and keep up with my grades." (Big eye roll). Whatever!

Now she wants to start driving me to school instead of letting me ride the bus with my friends so I can get there early and go to "morning math tutoring." I told Mom that it wasn't tutoring in the morning, but a time for kids to come and finish homework. Only losers go to morning tutoring, and besides, that is the ONLY time I get to hang out with all my friends is before school.

I'm not sure I'm going to survive Mom's middle school transition.

5 comments:

Island Rider said...

Chill is a good word. Mom and Mini Me you both need to chill. Mom, this is time to start letting go. Better she fail now than in High School when the grades count towards scholarships. Let her start taking responsiblility for herself. Yes, I know, gradually, but let her do it. She will surprise you. And Mini Me. If you want to be treated like a young woman, then, you need to step up and act like one. Do your homework. Turn in your homework. Make wise choices. There will be great rewards when you do. (Think Driver's License!) Love, From a Mom Whose Been There and Her Son Who She Didn't Kill but Came Close

Dani said...

I second Island Rider!

Sayre said...

Well, you know if you finish your homework in the evening, you wouldn't have to go to "math tutoring" in the morning.... And no one would think of you as a loser.

I'm sorry - I'm on Mom's side in this (being a mom myself). She actually knows the big picture and you don't - not yet. You would be surprised at how important it is now and how well taking things seriously now will set you up for high school, which is where things REALLY matter.

Middle school IS a tough transition for you and your mom. As long as you were in elementary school, she could pretend that you were still her little girl and that you weren't going to grow up and leave her. Middle school kind of drives that reality home. It's only the beginning of a long transition to adulthood.

Go easy on your mom. Do the best you can. It will all turn out in the end.

R.Powers said...

Minime,
Your mom needs to be your shadow and guide you safely through the dark valley of middle school.
Decisions made there will affect the rest of your life, and you are, ... well, a middle schooler, which means you will be operating under the influence of emotions and peer pressure for the next 3 years, rather than common sense and experience.
Your Mom needs to be your own personal ninja in the shadows to protect you.
You will thank her for it later.

Nicolezmomma said...

I am in no position to give advice since it seemed like I was a complete failure with my teenage daughter (now 17). However, one thing we learned is that trying to stop her from doing the 'wrong things' was a complete backfire. It was better for us to reward good behavior and announce punishment for bad behavior and then stick with it. You are going to have to pick your battles. Sweating the small stuff will make the big stuff unbearable, as we sadly found out.