The Honeymoon is Over

That was short-lived, wasn't it. The Happy to be On Our Way to School Honeymoon is no more. I had to wake up all the boys this morning - they do better if they wake up on their own - and two of them were bugging each other. A bowl of cereal and milk ended up on the kitchen floor which made everyone grumpy. Except the happy kid. He's always happy. AJ had to finish up some homework this morning - Grade 7 is a big change from Grade 6. Now they have lockers and have to remember to bring books to class and to bring the right books to class. I didn't pack up his backpack last night for him - it's his responsibility - but I did cover four of his textbooks...and three of CJ's textbooks. So I'm not all heartless. AJ has a Literature book that was Uncle AB's 20 years ago. CJ has a Science book that was Aunt Alison's 20 years ago too. So they both think that's pretty neat.

At church AJ is now in the teen department. Big deal. Really, it is. He now has a social calendar that puts mine to shame. But you're not really surprised by that, are you. On Wednesday's after school he has Teens in Action. This week they will be painting stuff for an upcoming activity so they're supposed to have clothes that can get paint splattered. I reminded him last night of this and again this morning, but apparently I'll be bringing the clothes with me after school when I pick up the other two. And I'll need to give him money for supper. Last week they had pizza. On Friday nights they have gym night. Once a month they have an afterglow after Sunday evening church at someone's house and every once in a while there are activities thrown in for the fun of it. So now that I'm a parent of a pre-teen, I'm beginning to wonder if all these activities really are for the kids...or if they're actually for the parents to give them a break from all the hormone-induced belligerence that spews forth from them. I tell you there's a switch somewhere on that boy that makes him happy and fun one minute and the next he's in a fowl fowl mood and nobody is spared. How many more years of this do I have??

I leave you with a picture of AJ and the Happy Kid. This says it all!