But what will he do with his binky?

Beta boy is beginning the transition to -

excuse me while I breathe into this paper bag -

middle-schooler.

Some of you may be thinking “Isn’t Beta Boy a wee bit young for middle school?”, and to you I would say “YES!”.  However, here on our island IN Rhode Island, the elementary school goes from Pre-K to fourth grade, middle school is fifth to eighth, and then the kids go off island for high school.  

Have you seen a fifth grader recently? How about an eighth grader?  There’s about four years, forty swear words, experience in at least three “bases” and a smattering of facial hair that separate the two.  

It’s not that I think he’ll come home from his first day suddenly a foot taller and a heap surlier, it’s just that it puts the next step of his growing up into motion.  

We’re still in the years where, while I know that there’s a whole feeder stream of information he gets from his buds, he still has an innocence about him.

Take this conversation we had yesterday, for example:

Beta Boy: “Mom, I think I know what I want my new e-mail address to be.”

Beta Mom: “Oh?”

Beta Boy: “Yup.  Stud Boy @…….”

Beta Mom: “Really?  Do you know what a stud is?”

Beta Boy: “Duh. (editor’s note  - I’m pretty sure he didn’t say “duh”, but I’m positive it was implied.)  It’s what they call the lego piece that other things are built on.”

mmm-hmmm.  I will spare you the part where I delicately tried to explain what the LESSER known use of the word might be, and how people who saw the e-mail address “stud boy” might not come looking to him for building advice.

I’m not ready for the whole “let him fly and find his wings, blah blah blah” thing.  I think I’d much rather keep in the nest, feed him regurgitated worms and run anyone over anyone who bothers him with my car, thank you very much.

Overkill?  perhaps.  Feeding my neurosis here is the fact that both Beta Dad and I work in education.  We KNOW too much.  We’ve SEEN too much.  We’ve SMELLED too much.  Of course, we’ve also seen the range of parenting that accompanies such behaviors, and while we know that there are no guarantees, we feel like we’re ahead of the game most of the time.  

Well, we’re at least in the game.  I think the secret is to just keep making up new rules as they come along, and take all in stride.

me and stud boy.