My Apron Strings are Getting Shorter!!

Okay, I knew Jackson being in Middle School would be a whole new ball game, but I had no idea that he would start to want so much more independence in just the first two weeks of school! Last Friday was his first school dance! Did you hear me? I said D-A-N-C-E!! My baby is old enough to go into a dark gym with loud music and girls???? Well, it wasn't so bad as I had volunteered with PTO to work the dance. At least I could keep an eye on him, or so I thought. After taking care of my PTO responsibilities, I walked around and took some pictures. It seems like I saw every kid in the middle school except for Jackson. I don't think he was avoiding me, I think he was wrapped up in running around in the middle school drama where you are trying to figure out who likes who and then run and gossip about who is dancing with who. I'm really not as worried about Jackson as I am the girls that seemed to be chasing after him. Are they forgetting they are in 6th grade? They are still supposed to be shy and stuck in a corner! But then again, my son is not shy. At one point during the dance, I noticed all the kids were in a circle watching three boys dance. I was trying to find Jackson and realized he was one of the boys in the circle! Apparently, Jackson is very proud of himself that he can do the "worm."

Jackson at his first Middle School Dance

Well, we made it through the dance. I didn't have much time to take in all this independence my son is so desperately wanting. The next day, he met a group of 50 other students from the Middle School to go with FCA to a U of A Razorback football game in Fayetteville. They left the school at 1:30pm and wouldn't be returning until after 11:00pm. As I got to thinking about it, I realized that this is probably the first big thing that Jackson has done without me and his dad that was not church related. I also realized that he would be with 20,000-30,000 people at a football game where he could be infleuenced by people who may not be Christians. What if I wanted to get in touch with him? His dad and I had decided that he is still too young to have the responsibility of his own cell phone. Should I send my phone with him? I quickly decided against that as my phone has an active internet connection. I decided it was better to send him without a phone instead of with a phone that I could not monitor his internet use. I asked him to borrow a teacher or friends phone to call me and check in with me. He did as I asked. I couldn't believe he was being responsible enough to remember to call his mom! I prayed for him all night, that God would protect his mind and his ears. I also prayed that he would have a great time and that God would use him as a positive infleuence on others.

This is a picture of Jackson's 30,000 closest friends! :)

Jackson (far left) hanging out with some friends watching the game

Eating at Braum's after the game...

Jackson did have a blast at the game and I know that he was well taken care of by the leaders that took the students. I was able to enjoy my evening without focusing on what Jackson was doing or who he was with the whole time. Jackson is a great kid and has a wonderful discerning spirit. I continue to pray that he allows the Lord to lead him. I also know that this next year will be full of "firsts" for both of us. I am excited about seeing my son grow and gain more independence and yet I am sad at the same time. It feels like I am losing a little bit of my little boy every day. Yes, it definitely feels like my apron strings are getting shorter every day!