As a mother of two daughters, Taylor (26) and Finnley (18), I can certainly relate to what it was like living with a teenager (and I have very vivid memories of the early teen years)! I have often thought to myself, “Where did my sweet little girl go and who is this imposter living in her body!” I frequently remind myself that the one word responses, the disrespectful tone or just that “look” I get is actually developmentally appropriate.

These middle age years are when our children are trying to “find themselves.” They are faced with these questions...What am I really interested in? Where do I fit in socially? How do I balance my ever expanding social life and school work? Why don’t my parents get “it” (whatever it is)? Essentially they are in this middle ground...no longer a little kid but certainly not a young adult. They're testing their limits, they're doing things for the first time. That's hard work, and they need a safe space to try new things.

Research has shown that middle school students need our love, understanding and boundaries as they navigate through these middle years. The real question is, “How do we do this while balancing their need for autonomy and independence?” I have found it all starts with really listening to your child. Listen to what they are saying but also to what they aren’t telling you. Often they are trying so desperately to communicate with us but it comes out all wrong (and potentially with some attitude). I often find myself lecturing my own daughter versus having a true conversation with her. We need to make sure we are asking open ended questions that have the potential to lead to deeper conversations. When they do talk with us we need to validate their worries and frustrations, even when they don’t make sense to us.

Even though they are no longer young children, they still love when you make a big deal about their successes. No one is ever too old to hear the words, “ I am so proud of you” or “You should be so proud of your hard work.” We need to be their biggest fans even when they say we are embarrassing, because in reality this is just another confirmation that we care so deeply for them.

All kids are passionate about something. It could be soccer, running, math, writing poetry, playing guitar, or even playing video games! As parents we need to embrace our child’s passion as well. This will provide us with opportunities to connect authentically and ultimately send them the message, “I care about you so much I want to learn about what matters most to you.”

One middle school student summed it up perfectly by saying, “When my mom asks me if I am getting all of my school work finished all the time it drives me crazy. But if she didn’t ask me then I would think she didn’t care.” I think we all can agree that we would much rather drive our kids a little “crazy” rather than send the message that we don’t care. They still need us even when they are sending us the message that they don’t. These middle years may be a bit challenging but at the same time they are so special. Let’s embrace them together as we watch our children blossom into the incredible young adults we know they have the potential to be.

As always, don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions or concerns.

Kindly,

Kim

314.645.9600 (607)~kwright@premiercharterschool.org

UPCOMING EVENTS

November 9 - Veterans Day Assembly
November 10-No School
November 16-Picture Retakes
November 22-24-No School
November 28-29 8th EOC
December 20- January 3 Winter Break
January 4- End of Quarter 2

Drop Off Reminder:

Now that we are a few weeks into the school year, we wanted to reiterate that our morning drop off process does not begin until 8:00 am. Our morning duty staff are not outside to supervise drop off until 8:00 am. In the interest of student safety, please do not leave your child(ren) unsupervised before morning duty begins.

We recently revised our late pick up policy because of an increase in students being picked up after our dismissal ends at 3:35. We also have a significant number of unsupervised children in the morning and would like to avoid an additional revision of our drop off/pick up policy. We appreciate your support in this matter as we work to keep all of our students safe.

A Note from our Veterans’ Day Committee:

Our 11th annual Veterans Day assembly is right around the corner! We hope to see you and your military family on November 9th from 2-3:00pm in the courtyard! Reception following from 3-3:30pm in the elementary cafeteria. Please respond by November 7th!

Please use the link below to R.S.V.P. for the assembly and reception. Please include the Veteran’s name and branch of service as well as the exact number of family members that will attend so we have enough chairs and treats!

Veterans Day Assembly