When I was preparing for middle school, the big questions in my mind were:
- "The girls from the other elementaries seem so old and big, and a few of them look like they have boobs. Will I have boobs? Do I right now? Can you see these?"
- "Does this mean no more Barbies?"
- "Do I have to shave my legs?"
- "I heard they have a salad bar and a hamburger bar and then a regular lunch line. How does it work? How will I choose?"
As Lu is preparing for middle school, she is sorting through her own form of the above, but also having to make choices about where she will go. With questions like the ones I had about college:
- Should I go someplace artsy and interesting (and expensive)?
- Should I go to the big public school where all my friends are going and will be easy and cheap and good enough?
- Should I aim for the hard nerdy school where I see my tribe, but also see challenges (and have the toughest chance of getting in)?
She has now done more to get into middle school than I did to get into the University of Texas. Granted, the UT bar was low at the time, but this is a hell of a lot of work and consideration for middle school.