Class of 2023 Parents

[portocall]

I searched to see if a thread for the parents of the class of 2023 was already up but came up empty. If it exists, please let me know.

If not, our kids are about to be high school freshman. This is a good time to find a good online support group as they start finding their wings and tackle the challenges of high school. I always appreciate having somewhere to go talk to people who don't actually know my son.

I'll go first. My son is our youngest of three boys. We just moved 400 miles away from the place he has known his whole life. This will be the first time he has changed schools. It is the first time he hasn't had to wear uniforms or a have a specific book bag. It's exciting for us as well as stressful. What do teenage boys wear to school these days?

His older brother leaves for college two days before he starts high school. His oldest brother decided to not move with us which is fine and expected because he is an adult. There have been a lot of changes and there will be even more to adjust in the very near future. Being an "only" is going to take some getting used to for the both of us. Especially since my oldest two are only 15 month apart, I really didn't experience having only one child for very long.

The good news is that he has taken these changes in stride so far. He was really looking forward to the move and likes our new area but hasn't wanted to get back into any of the activities he used to do. (Church youth group and boy scouts). We told he we would give him the summer but once the school year starts, he is going to have to branch out and get involved in something of his choosing.

So that's where we are in the beginning of what are my favorite years. (Yes, I actually like having teenagers)

 

[soccerdad72]

I actually meant to start a thread for Class of 2023 a while ago, but never got around to it - you're right, there isn't one (that I could find).

Our younger son starts HS in about a month, but for him, HS has already gotten going as they're in preseason soccer practices already. The good part about playing a fall sport is that they get to know a bunch of kids before they even step foot into the school, which is nice.

Our older son also leaves for college (freshman year) the day before our younger son starts HS. In fact, we're unfortunately going to miss his first soccer game and his first day of HS (freshmen go a day before the rest of the school) because we will be moving his brother into college. But we reminded him, once we're home, he gets our undivided attention (which is not always a good thing )

 

[3DisneyBuggs]

Our youngest is starting high school too. My oldest will be in his 4th year of college and my DD will be a senior in high school.

 

[Suprize2017]

Hi! My daughter is in the class of 2023. She is the oldest of our three and our only daughter. She has brothers, who are twins, that are just a year behind her. We live in a smaller community, so while she will be moving to a new school, she is with a group of kids she’s been with since kindergarten, some since pre-school. Plus, she’s in all advanced/honor classes, so she’s been with that small group, for most of her classes, since 3rd grade.

She's pretty active in band (the bassoon is her main instrument, but she plays the saxophone in Jazz and Pep band, and she also plays the piano) and the Middle School and High School share the same band teacher. Last winter he had his 8th graders go to the HS and practice with the Pep band for the last few basketball games of the season. She was able to meet quite a few HS kids, and get a tour of the HS. She loved playing with them at the games as well. Ever since then, she's been really excited about going to High School.

She's been a pretty easy kid to raise so far. Yeah, I get to enjoy the occasional teenage attitude that girls have perfected, but other than that, she's easy. I don't have to worry about her in school and she has a great group of friends that have been pretty tight for many years. None of the typical girl drama that I see every day (I teach at a middle school), so I am very thankful for that. Right now, our biggest struggle is getting her to drive. She's finished with driver's ed and needs to have 50 hours of driving before she can get her license in October, and she just doesn't want to drive! Meanwhile, both our boys are chomping at the bit to drive and that makes me nervous!

I love having 3 teenagers! I love watching them explore with their independence and watching them become their own person. It can be a bit more nerve-racking, but I still love it.

 

[portocall]

I actually meant to start a thread for Class of 2023 a while ago, but never got around to it - you're right, there isn't one (that I could find).

Our younger son starts HS in about a month, but for him, HS has already gotten going as they're in preseason soccer practices already. The good part about playing a fall sport is that they get to know a bunch of kids before they even step foot into the school, which is nice.

Our older son also leaves for college (freshman year) the day before our younger son starts HS. In fact, we're unfortunately going to miss his first soccer game and his first day of HS (freshmen go a day before the rest of the school) because we will be moving his brother into college. But we reminded him, once we're home, he gets our undivided attention (which is not always a good thing )

That is great that he has gotten familiar before school actually starts.

No, undivided attention is a double edged sword. I don't know what mine is going to do when "he did it" and "not me" can't roll easily off the tongue anymore.

 

[portocall]

Our youngest is starting high school too. My oldest will be in his 4th year of college and my DD will be a senior in high school.

I hope the Spring will bring much to celebrate. Sounds like exciting times in your family.

 

[portocall]

Hi! My daughter is in the class of 2023. She is the oldest of our three and our only daughter. She has brothers, who are twins, that are just a year behind her. We live in a smaller community, so while she will be moving to a new school, she is with a group of kids she’s been with since kindergarten, some since pre-school. Plus, she’s in all advanced/honor classes, so she’s been with that small group, for most of her classes, since 3rd grade.

She's pretty active in band (the bassoon is her main instrument, but she plays the saxophone in Jazz and Pep band, and she also plays the piano) and the Middle School and High School share the same band teacher. Last winter he had his 8th graders go to the HS and practice with the Pep band for the last few basketball games of the season. She was able to meet quite a few HS kids, and get a tour of the HS. She loved playing with them at the games as well. Ever since then, she's been really excited about going to High School.

She's been a pretty easy kid to raise so far. Yeah, I get to enjoy the occasional teenage attitude that girls have perfected, but other than that, she's easy. I don't have to worry about her in school and she has a great group of friends that have been pretty tight for many years. None of the typical girl drama that I see every day (I teach at a middle school), so I am very thankful for that. Right now, our biggest struggle is getting her to drive. She's finished with driver's ed and needs to have 50 hours of driving before she can get her license in October, and she just doesn't want to drive! Meanwhile, both our boys are chomping at the bit to drive and that makes me nervous!

I love having 3 teenagers! I love watching them explore with their independence and watching them become their own person. It can be a bit more nerve-racking, but I still love it.

I am so glad I am not the only one who loves teenagers. The looks I sometimes get when I say that out loud.

My son had been in the same school since kindergarten but there was a high relocation rate so very few of the same kids were still there by 8th grade. But the way our school worked was to send them to many high schools so even if it were the same kids, only a handful would have transitioned to high school together. I think it's great when kids can grow up with the same core group of friends. I feel really badly that it didn't happen for our youngest. The older two were luckier in that department and chose to go to the same high school.

My middle son played saxophone. My youngest is running away from music as fast as he can but he played violin all through middle school. He enjoys playing music but hates performing in front of crowds. He's really shy and that makes me nervous.

I love that the opportunity to keep the same band teacher is there for yours. It's sounds wonderful.

 

[soccerdad72]

August 1st - around here that signals the start of fall sports season.

 

[Momager]

My oldest will be going into her freshman year this Sept as well! She's the oldest of 3 daughters, and the only one in public school. My middle daughter, who is almost 13 and going into 7th grade this year, is homeschooled. The baby is only 4 and not old enough for Kindergarten yet.
My oldest has also been on the HS fields all summer for field hockey practice. Though she will probably be quitting soon since she has a nagging injury, and her coach couldn't care less... But she really likes all the girls shes met from the team, so that's good!
She's going into all honor classes this year. I know she can handle it, and I'm so proud how much effort she puts into her schooling. I also have NO IDEA where it comes from because I was NOTHING like that at her age LOL

 

[ljcrochet]

My girls are starting high school in 2 weeks. I just found out that their schedules were posted online. I had heard we were not getting them till the first day. Last year we moved from NY to Florida and my girls had all but 2 of their classes together. Now they have all different classes and teachers except for one. The last 3 years they had had the same teachers even if they were not in the same class.

 

[AP1209]

I guess I'm in this club too. High school starts in 2 weeks! Freshman orientation on Monday. Can't believe I'm old enough to have a kid in high school

 

[RangerPooh]

Our oldest starts high school on the 12th, and freshman orientation is on Monday. How can I have a high schooler already! Here's our breakdown: DD 9th grade, DD 7th grade, DS 4th grade, DS 3rd grade. DD joined the color guard and has spent the last 2.5 weeks attending band/guard camp. Last night was their parent show. I'm proud of her for putting in so much time and effort into guard. Juts hope that she can keep that up as well as scouts. Time management is a work in progress.

High school means attending a school in the next district over as our town does not have one. School also starts at 7am, which means we're on the road by 6:20am to get her to school on time, then us to work. It's going to make for a long day. But the school bus would pick her up even earlier. It also means that we have kids at three schools across two districts. School times are: HS 7-2, MS 8-3, ES 9-4. Honestly I miss our old district in WA that had start/end times that only varied by 30 minutes (if at all). This just makes you spend half your day in the carpool line.

 

[wgeo]

My youngest is in the class of 2023. She's very excited and nervous about starting high school. Her older brother is a sophomore so that kind of helps. The high school here is very large, around 2800 kids so we pushed our kids hard to get involved in things to be more comfortable. DD auditioned for color guard last winter and was very lucky to get in as usually freshman don't make it. This has been huge for her confidence. She also got into the International Baccalaureate program which is making me kind of nervous. She's never really taken advanced classes before and does well in school but has to really work for it. Her older brother is also in the IB program and school comes very easy to him, he's been in advance classes forever and even he had to work his butt off last year to get thru it. So we are incredibly proud of her for getting accepted but a little nervous about the intense workload. She also joined choir. Between the large amount of practice hours for color guard, choir and her homework I think she's gonna be exhausted but probably very happy this year.

 

[wgeo]

I searched to see if a thread for the parents of the class of 2023 was already up but came up empty. If it exists, please let me know.

If not, our kids are about to be high school freshman. This is a good time to find a good online support group as they start finding their wings and tackle the challenges of high school. I always appreciate having somewhere to go talk to people who don't actually know my son.

I'll go first. My son is our youngest of three boys. We just moved 400 miles away from the place he has known his whole life. This will be the first time he has changed schools. It is the first time he hasn't had to wear uniforms or a have a specific book bag. It's exciting for us as well as stressful. What do teenage boys wear to school these days?

His older brother leaves for college two days before he starts high school. His oldest brother decided to not move with us which is fine and expected because he is an adult. There have been a lot of changes and there will be even more to adjust in the very near future. Being an "only" is going to take some getting used to for the both of us. Especially since my oldest two are only 15 month apart, I really didn't experience having only one child for very long.

The good news is that he has taken these changes in stride so far. He was really looking forward to the move and likes our new area but hasn't wanted to get back into any of the activities he used to do. (Church youth group and boy scouts). We told he we would give him the summer but once the school year starts, he is going to have to branch out and get involved in something of his choosing.

So that's where we are in the beginning of what are my favorite years. (Yes, I actually like having teenagers)

I love having teens too! They are important years in the kids life, but a lot of fun too. When does school start for your son? Has he picked anything to join yet?

 

[wgeo]

Our oldest starts high school on the 12th, and freshman orientation is on Monday. How can I have a high schooler already! Here's our breakdown: DD 9th grade, DD 7th grade, DS 4th grade, DS 3rd grade. DD joined the color guard and has spent the last 2.5 weeks attending band/guard camp. Last night was their parent show. I'm proud of her for putting in so much time and effort into guard. Juts hope that she can keep that up as well as scouts. Time management is a work in progress.

High school means attending a school in the next district over as our town does not have one. School also starts at 7am, which means we're on the road by 6:20am to get her to school on time, then us to work. It's going to make for a long day. But the school bus would pick her up even earlier. It also means that we have kids at three schools across two districts. School times are: HS 7-2, MS 8-3, ES 9-4. Honestly I miss our old district in WA that had start/end times that only varied by 30 minutes (if at all). This just makes you spend half your day in the carpool line.

Your DD is doing color guard too? Isn't it great. I enjoy watching her in the backyard practicing her throws over and over. It's much more complicated then I ever imagined.

 

[cinnaminny]

Yay!! My baby is in the class of 2023. He is the youngest of my three boys. My oldest two, who are 14 months apart, really grew up together where my youngest who is 10 years younger felt almost like an only child. So we try to keep a welcoming space for the kids in our neighborhood to stop in and hang out a bit. My son is a pretty big kid, at 14 just shy of 6 foot, but not too much into sports. He is in the percussion band at school and has played piano since the third grade. When he was 2-3 he was basically diagnosed with severe Childhood Apraxia of speech. (as he was older, he was officially diagnosed) but after a ton of effort, therapy and love he has mostly recovered from this. We were lucky and he is ready for high school. Luckily we live just outside the city and our schools are small but still have a lot of opportunity.

I was wondering if someone would create a thread for this group and I am glad you did!!

 

[donac]

It is so good for the kids to get involved in activities that gets them to meet students before school starts. Both my sons were involved in marching band so got to meet other students before the first day of school. My husband and I told them that the worst part of the first day is finding a place to sit during lunch. With knowing other students that are in their same group made it so much easier. Good luck everyone.

 

[wgeo]

It is so good for the kids to get involved in activities that gets them to meet students before school starts. Both my sons were involved in marching band so got to meet other students before the first day of school. My husband and I told them that the worst part of the first day is finding a place to sit during lunch. With knowing other students that are in their same group made it so much easier. Good luck everyone.

That is so true. My son (freshman last year) didn't see any of his friend group when he got to lunch, but he saw a few kids from the band and they invited him right over. He said it was the best thing to not have to sit by himself. Really nice of the older kids to be so welcoming I thought.

 

[JennM]

My daughter starts her freshman year on Wednesday. And her younger brother starts middle school the same day. It's a milestone year, I guess!

She is so excited about being a high schooler. She's played on the varsity soccer team since 7th grade and is actively involved in our church youth group, so she knows a good many upperclassmen and does not seem nervous about being the new kid on the block. She has a few high school credits already from 8th grade but will be taking her first AP class this year, so that will be a challenge. She's also running varsity XC and track and playing on a travel soccer team, so her schedule is pretty full already. I am anxious about her balancing everything along with her social calendar, but so far so good! Looking forward to sharing stories of our kids throughout this HS journey!

 

[RangerPooh]

Your DD is doing color guard too? Isn't it great. I enjoy watching her in the backyard practicing her throws over and over. It's much more complicated then I ever imagined.

Yup. Kind of surprised me when she announced her plans to try out last spring. But she made it and really enjoys it. There was a bit of catching up that she had to do as we missed June practices because of vacation, but she's done it. If anything I see it continuing to build her confidence.

A number of my girl friends did color guard in high school so I knew what to expect going in. Me, I played field hockey, so I'm more knowledgeable in the conditioning and practice side of things.