"Tween" Years Starts At 6?!

As we approach the end of our kindergarten year I feel a bit of sadness. My babies are moving onto the 1st grade and are not babies any longer, they now have some "seniority" under their belts...and there is also this big lump of fear that resides right in my heart. I try and give my kids space to feel their way around and learn and meet different kids and experience different things. I want them to without being too obvious to be friends and play with different kids rather than the same ones over and over again and being apart of a clique. Our school is notorious for being like that...as I'm sure many are, but we are so very very good at it...especially the parents. I should know, I'm a product of this same exact school system.

So I try and schedule playdates with kids that Tyler would not be playing Tball with or soccer with and I do try and request that he is not in the same class with kids that he is on the same sports team with...especially if I know they get too carried away together. I know some may argue that I am preventing a close relationship, but I disagree. Being on a sports team together creates a really strong bond that does not need being in the same classes to nurture.

I hear these young boys ALREADY at the age of 6 talking about girls. Telling each other so and so is "hot." How do they know what hot means? and they FLIRT! I see the little girls looking at these boys and the boys doing the same! Granted not every little kindergartener is maturing at that rate, but there are a good handful that are and once the others start drinking that "Kool-aid" forget it! I chat with some of the other moms in Tyler's class and they tell me that their daughters go home telling them that they are going to marry so and so...and we think how cute is that?! and it's funny! Well some of us think it is...I do. Some of us think it's not so funny...oh well. But there are moments when I do see that age 6 innocence of a little boy shine through.

Today for example was a good example. "Beyblades" are the hottest toys on the market. They are glorified tops that comes with a rip cord and a release mechanism that the top is attached to. Of course there are a dozen different kinds and the kids collect them all. Toys are not allowed in the classroom, but all the kids bring them to school and play before school or after school. Tyler brings them and promises to put them in his backpack. Today, I kissed him good bye at the front door like always and he went on his way, what he didn't know was that I waited and went down to his classroom to talk to his teacher and when I did....BUSTED! He had his Beyblades out showing a friend. Although I was angry at him for disobeying, I was relieved secretly that it's not all about girls.

As I was walking down the hall to leave the school I hear a whole bunch of giggling and I look in to see in the girl's bathroom, Madison and her little girlfriends in front of the mirror playing with their hair and giggling and chit chatting about something. She has recently changed so much! She has taken this huge interest in wearing skirts and dresses and putting ribbons in her hair and wearing headbands. She wants pocketbooks and lipgloss and just everything girly. oy vay! It's very cute and what all her friends are doing and I will let her, but to a certain extent, I still make her dress appropriately for PE class on the days she has PE where as her friends are still decked out in dresses. On the flipside, they may be rubbing off some good on her as well, her reading skills has improved 110% and it's amazing!

The S bomb has also been dropped. SEX. Tyler had said something about sex and Madi started to giggle and then just flat out started to belly laugh. When he did this the first time, Kevin was playing xbox and he almost dropped the controller and I almost dropped my iphone. I did manage to keep my cool and asked him what he thought that meant. He said kissing on the lips. I did leave it at that...I just did not and could not deal with correcting him nor did I think he needed to be corrected at this point in his life. He definitely was not going to be performing this anytime soon!

So all you preschool parents out there...prepare for kindergarten! it's like Space Mountain!!!