An Open Letter to Middle School Parents

*Dear Mom and Dad of Middle Schoolers*,

This summer, **I'm passing the torch to you**. My youngest of four graduated from middle school. A big ceremony at school, kids dressed in their first formal wear, with mom and dad cheering in the background.

"We made it!"

The transition from childhood to adolescence is a celebration for parents as much as it is for kids. Some of us cheer because **our child made it through junior high, somewhat unscathed.** Some of us sigh, wearily, because **we feel like we've been through World War 3. We hope high school can't be any worse.**

Some of us celebrate because **we've seen our awkward little ones grow into young men and women,** who physically morphed before our eyes. Some of us cry, like me, because **it's your last child **to leave this momentous phase of life.

Some cultures and religions have a huge ceremony as children walk through the twelve-to-fifteen years. **A rite of passage, it's called. Surely, it is.** Americans don't acknowledge the importance of this age. Instead, we approach it with fear and dread; anticipating the drama, hyperactivity, and hormones. With my last child leaving this stage behind, this is what I leave to you, from a parent whose been in the middle school trenches the last twelve years.

Read the rest of the article [here. ](http://nicoleodell.com/2015/06/an-open-letter-to-parents-middle-schoolers/)