Firsts

Do you remember your first day of high school?

That's what tomorrow will be for my 14-year-old son. His mom took him shopping today for new clothes -- jeans, shirts, socks, a sweatshirt. Unfortunately, a very nice pair of shoes he bought for himself recently are blue and therefore not allowed. (Blue and red are gang colors in this part of the city, so the school bans them from all students' clothes.

His hair is a bit shaggy, but he decided against a haircut for now. He recently got the upper part of his braces off. He'll go to school as part of a carpool, two girls a grade higher live in the neighborhood and one of their moms will drive him tomorrow.

He's probably a bit nervous, but he says he is "excited."

Transitions. We all face them all during out lives. One stage to the next stage, then another and another. Do you know why older people sometimes appear to be wise? Because they see the pattern in all of this drama.

Change is only as difficult as you make it. Change is inevitable.

Fear of the unknown, especially when it's fraught with rumor and exaggeration, i.e., the stuff teens specialize in, is a natural state for a young person to be in as (s)he navigates to the next level of socialization.

I'm sure my boy will do very well. He has a good balance of physical, intellectual, and emotional skills. He's friendly and athletic, he's smart in ways he doesn't even know yet.

But tomorrow is one of those days when, as a parent, you just have to let your child go and find all of these things out on his own. Luckily, he has new clothes, a new backpack that his grandma bought him, and a good attitude.

I, on the other hand, will be waiting by my phone for his report afterward. And I won't wear gang colors either.

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