Learning Lessons is Hard

The Girl started middle school last week. 6th grade. She turns 11 this weekend. Oh. Dear. I am not sure either of us is ready.

Some events in the first week:

• "Susan - can all email talk to each other?" - apparently she had given her email address to a boy at camp. She is sure he has already emailed her, but she hasn't seen it, so it must be a problem with email.
• A couple of 8th grade boys were looking at one of The Girl's friends. The Girl and her friend turned the boys in to the principal.
• The Girl is beginning 6th grade band, playing clarinet. The clarinets (and their players...) were off by themselves figuring out their instruments (with 80 students, the first few weeks are dedicated to getting everyone on the same page and not much music is played). One of the boys started "squeaking" his clarinet, which, The Girl is careful to point out, is not what one is supposed to do with the clarinet. The Girl makes several (escalating) requests to stop squeaking - no avail. The Girl tells the teacher. The teacher has them stop squeaking, but after the teacher leaves, one of her classmates tells her she is untrustworthy and a tattletale.

Hard days ahead for The Girl. And the rest of us.

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