6th grade has been a transition for both of us. I no longer get a goodbye kiss; barely a wave if I drop her off at school. She waits for the bus on the front porch by herself because that is what she chooses. "You can watch from the window".
Two C letter grades in two different semesters caused her to miss Honor Roll twice as she struggled with responsibility and a teacher who had very high expectations. I recall in the first weeks of school how much she disliked Ms. Henn who is now someone she speaks fondly of and wants to do well for. I told her all along that was Ms. Henn's goal. She was pushing Hannah to be the student she knew she could be. Thankful for several AWESOME teachers this year who pushed and befriended Hannah - Ms. Henn, Ms. Drexler (sorry we didn't get to cruise with her) and Ms. Cottner (who Hannah also complained about, but just last week was making a duct tape pen for).
Basketball for the first time. Was not supposed to get much playing time and ended up starting on the B team every game after the first few. Hard work pays off!
Archery for the first time. Her score increased every competition and she got "Best Form" at the banquet.
Track. She is a athlete unlike her mom! We did make her choose between softball and track, but now recogonize she could do both. The track season is very short and the little girl who was always so fast in elementary school met some fierce competition in middle school and we all realized she wasn't so fast afterall.
And friends, the girl has friends. We joke about her being '"friendliest", but she truly has lots of friends. When school started, she told me she was trying to make new friends specifically targeting girls who had gone to Brooks. She was successful! The awesome part is that all the new friends are now friends with the old friends. The group from a mom's perspective - Hannah, Bayleigh (birth), Meredith (kindergarten), Emily (6th), Hayley (6th), Tabitha (6th), Katie (6th) - oh, there are more, but these girls are at my house frequently!
And boys.......always texting Slade who is really just a friend. Currently, going with Jacob, but it is really just a school romance. She started shooting at the Gun Club the other night, and it was the first time Charlie and I experienced our daughter growing up! A boy showed interest in Hannah; not a boy from school, a stranger, and it was real interest.
When I complain about her smart mouth, the hurtful things she says, I remind myself that she is just struggling with finding herself because inside she is still the little girl who has fed the homeless twice this year, sold hot dogs to raise money for Relay for Life, and loves God!
