11 Years ago this month I woke up on a chilly Monday wondering, like so many overdue women before me, if I’d be pregnant forever.

8 hours later I was having an unexpected (unwanted but necessary) C-Section. Please do notice that even in the crazy surprise of that day, I managed to get my bright lipstick on.

I blinked, and that tiny baby – my first to birth but second of 3 to mother – sauntered into my house this week and handed over an invitation to his middle school registration/info night. The NERVE of these children, to keep growing up on us!

I thought the second time around would be easier, but with 7 years between my oldest and middle, I’m responding with similar light-headedness and the need to repeat, “CALM, the thing to do is BE CALM.”

In the service of holding tight to CALM, I decided to think back to what I learned the first time we face Middle School, remembering the conversations I had with other moms, and the things I journaled back then.

I know I’m not the only parent reminding herself to breathe over this particular milestone. When I asked Facebook for advice for sending a kid to Middle school, the responses were everything from warnings about more homework and the need for organization (likely to be a a bigger problem this time around than it was for my type A firstborn) to “I am absolutely terrified.”

For those of us freaking out about sending our babies to middle school next year, here are the Top 3 Lessons we learned from surviving Middle School the first time around (with high hopes for surviving it two more times!) Read more