Enter middle school – the boy wants to play a sport.  He chooses Cross Country.

By the skin of our teeth we got him in for a physical in time…and he started the same day (two Monday’s ago).

Thursday he was in his first meet.  I was so proud of him!  I’ve never had a good stamina for running, and I envy his persistence at it.  They run almost 2 miles in middle school meets – and the kid forgot his inhaler!

But he did it!

Not only did he run the full length of the meet looking just a bit winded at the end – he came in 20th place AND beat his best time by over 2 minutes!

Then after it was all said and done…he still had time to flirt…with TWO girls…
That girl in black? The opposing team.  The girl in red?  He says he USED to like her, but now she’s just a friend.

Yup. that’s my boy.

It’s the eyes.  The kid has melt-worthy blue eyes. I’m in SO much trouble now that he’s noticing girls.

Oy, the headaches of a near-teen.

So yes…a VERY proud Mama ready for the next meet!!

The first thing I thought of was not our wedding song, but OUR wedding song.  Makes sense, right?

To clarify, when Archie and I got married, Brandon was three years old.  Our first date he didn’t ask ME out…he asked out Brandon and I both.  We went to Pizza King so Brandon could see the train going around carrying drinks, and play video games.

It impressed my father.

It impressed me.

When it came down to planning the wedding we had the Father/Daughter dance picked.  We had our first dance picked. But there was something missing.  Something important.

That little guy had been a part of our beginning.  Our middle, and he had to be a part of this too. We had to make sure of it.

My Dad came up with the perfect song.  The one that meant a lot…fit just right.

He Didn’t Have to Be by Brad Paisley

When a single mom goes out on a date with somebody new
It always winds up feeling more like a job interview
My momma used to wonder if she’d ever meet someone
Who wouldn’t find out about me and then turn around and run

And then all of a sudden
Oh, it seemed so strange to me
How we went from something’s missing
To a family
Lookin’ back all I can say
About all the things he did for me
Is I hope I’m at least half the dad
That he didn’t have to be

The words say it all.  Brandon wasn’t five – but he helped Archie pop the question.  He was at the wedding, holding our hands, and we all danced together as a family at the reception.  Moments after that kiss in the picture Brandon called Archie ‘Dad’ for the first time.  It took a few months of adjustment, but soon he was calling him Dad all the time.

Archie didn’t have to ask out the single Mom.  He didn’t have to ask out her little kid.  But he did.

And we’ll forever be glad that he did.

The past few years I’ve dreaded the last day of school.  For Brandon it was like a punishment to be told to play outside. He sat around the house and moped.  He would go and spend days and weeks with the in-laws just to escape the boredom that was being home.

But in the past year the neighborhood that I’ve always loved has gotten even better.  There’s been an influx of kids (and dogs – everyone got puppies this year) and I can’t get Brandon to come home to eat any of his meals!

There is nothing I like more than a neighborhood full of kids my son’s age on a street with no free traffic (very little traffic at all)!!  It’s so wonderful that he has so many friends to play with!

I look at my son in concern.  This could be anything.

“I almost asked out a girl.”

Uh…back the truck up, you WHAT?  I just grin, and ask why he didn’t.

“Someone beat me to it.”

I blink a few times, trying to digest this.  Clear my throat, “Okay.  So why didn’t you ask her out too?”

“Well, cuz then she’d be going on a double date.”

I resist the urge to facepalm right in front of him, stifle my laughter and point out that this is NOT what I meant.

He has since assured me that this coupling won’t last because Cindy* is country, and the other boy is city/hiphop.  “It won’t last until next week.”

My poor boy.  I’ll be having his Dad have a chat with him tonight.  He needs a few clues thrown his way.

I look at my son in concern.  This could be anything.

“I almost asked out a girl.”

Uh…back the truck up, you WHAT?  I just grin, and ask why he didn’t.

“Someone beat me to it.”

I blink a few times, trying to digest this.  Clear my throat, “Okay.  So why didn’t you ask her out too?”

“Well, cuz then she’d be going on a double date.”

I resist the urge to facepalm right in front of him, stifle my laughter and point out that this is NOT what I meant.

He has since assured me that this coupling won’t last because Cindy* is country, and the other boy is city/hiphop.  “It won’t last until next week.”

My poor boy.  I’ll be having his Dad have a chat with him tonight.  He needs a few clues thrown his way.

Those were the words that greeted me from my soon-to-be-eleven-year-olds mouth yesterday after school.  It didn’t end there.  He told me what it actually was – and about some of the questions that were asked.

Ah the joys of puberty movies.  I really wish he’d waited until his Dad got home for such a proclomation.  Thank goodness I was cleaning, because I’m sure my face was bright red.

Oy.  I’m not ready for puberty…but the appearance of zits and the first signs of pit hair tell me that I haven’t got any choice.

I need strength…because I’m really ,really not ready for this…not with a boy.  Even with Archie around I’m still going to get some of it…oy.

Those were the words that greeted me from my soon-to-be-eleven-year-olds mouth yesterday after school.  It didn’t end there.  He told me what it actually was – and about some of the questions that were asked.

Ah the joys of puberty movies.  I really wish he’d waited until his Dad got home for such a proclomation.  Thank goodness I was cleaning, because I’m sure my face was bright red.

Oy.  I’m not ready for puberty…but the appearance of zits and the first signs of pit hair tell me that I haven’t got any choice.

I need strength…because I’m really ,really not ready for this…not with a boy.  Even with Archie around I’m still going to get some of it…oy.

I would homeschool Brandon.  Because nights like tonight I think he really NEEDS it.

I don’t know where the boy gets it from.  But tonight he cried for an hour because we told him he would NOT be going to school tomorrow.  There is only a two hour delay (I’m sure because of the temperatures) – but we’ll be keeping him home the full day.  We’re doing this mainly because, although he’s 11 (almost), we aren’t comfortable with him staying by himself for two hours and getting on the bus. 

Somewhere along the line in the years he’s been in school he’s become obsessed with his attendance.  I know it’s not our fault – but I wonder if it’s the schools.  I’ve seen notes from them on occassion on how some funding can depend on the amount of unexcused absences – and how we all need to work toward perfect attendance.

Tonight he got so upset that I came to the conclusion that I need to keep him out of school more often.  He is far too obsessed over it.  He will not go without some learning tomorrow…I found some science stuff I had buried that we can do together…but he wont’ go to school.  I’ll do it again next month if I have to. 

I would love to homeschool for his middle school years…I don’t want him to have to face the horrendously cruel nature of the middle school children – he’s far too sensitive, they’ll rip him apart…but I don’t think I have the discipline…and I’d really have no clue where to begin…

Even Archie said (and you can ask him, cuz he reads this blog ) – “You’re smart enough…I just don’t think you have the discipline.”  I’m not in the least bit offended, because I agree *lol*  But it doesn’t make me stop WANTING to (really…I do).  I have wanted to since 2nd grade-ish – and he’s in 5th now *sigh*. I think my recent foray into doing exercises daily has given me more ideas that it could be possible…but then I think I’m wrong…

Advice…thoughts?  Should I start keeping him out more? I won’t ignore his education on those days…but the kid is sooo sensitive and he’s like insanely focused on his perfect attendance.  I need to shake it up or something.

What science lesson is that, you ask?

Why, the meaning of “Lake Effect.” 

On our way TO Buffalo, a band of very low-lying clouds hovered in a perfect arc around the edge of the lake…disappearing into brilliant blue skies just a few miles off.  I pointed them out and explained to Brandon the meaning of ‘Lake-effect’ and how he’d hear PLENTY of that phrase when we were in Buffalo…and how it ties into tales of snow and storms.

On our way HOME from Buffalo he got to see the proof of my lesson first hand.  From the minute we hit Pennsylvania until about 10 minutes outside of Cleveland we drove through variable levels of a snowstorm.  From a mix of rain and snow, to flurries, to a windy-snowy mess. 

I suppose it was worth the science lesson since he missed three days of school to go on the trip