from tears to smiles

We have survived week one of middle school.  I am emotionally and physically exhausted.  So is Kaitlyn!!

Sunday night, Kaitlyn started crying when I went in to tell her goodnight.  She was so nervous about going to middle school.  When I dropped her off Monday, she started crying again.  Monday afternoon was the same thing.  I covered that first day in my last post.

So, Tuesday comes around.  She rode the bus that morning, and teared up a little when I dropped her off at the bus stop.  I prayed all day that she would have a good day.  At 4:15, my cell phone rings and it's Kaitlyn, in tears.  She wasn't able to get her locker open all day so she carried her stuff around with her to every class.  I asked her if she asked a teacher for help and she said she asked one.  They told her she was "going too fast" and walked away.  I finally got her to tell me that the teachers were telling them if they are tardy to class they will get detention, so she was speeding through trying to open her locker so she wouldn't get in trouble.

So, I told her that her main concern right now was getting her locker open.  If a teacher sent her to the office because she was late, and she got in trouble, got detention, got a tardy mark on her report card, whatever, that would be my concern and I would fight that battle.  I told her that she did not need to be concerned with getting in trouble right now.  I also called Keith that night and told him that I needed some help from him.  Not in the uncle capacity, but in the youth leader capacity. 

Keith called her Wednesday morning before school and reassured her that we wouldn't let her get in trouble for having issues with her locker. He told her to work on getting her locker open and not worry about anything else.  He also told her that if she couldn't get it open, he would bring a shotgun to the school and get it open for her.  She told him that would get her suspended.  Made her laugh, though, which was a good thing.

I took her to school Wednesday, and of course, we had some more tears.  I prayed all day, again, that she would have a good day.  I got a text that afternoon that she got her locker open all day!  PRAISE GOD!!  I asked her if she would be ok going back the next day.  She said "I don't know."  Well, that was a step up from a flat out "I don't want to go." So, I considered it a good day.

Thursday we had no tears before school.  Today, she got bored waiting in the car with me until time to drop off.  I'd say we are on the up side of this middle school thing.  Thank you Jesus!!