This morning I reluctantly sent my first born off to middle school. Middle school! I can't believe 11 years have already gone by and he's entering this phase of life - this awkard, scary, exciting, nerve wracking and forever-memorable time.

I'm pretty sure I'm more nervous than he is.

Dare I say that sending my boy off to get on the bus today was harder than sending him to Kindergarten? Yes, of course sending them to school for the very first time is difficult - but it's also sweet and exciting. They are still naive to the way children can be cruel, they are protected with more rules and helpers and regulations than one can count, and they aren't expected to hit the books hard. School is all about fun. But not middle school. Middle school is plagued with demands, pressures, new rules and... the bus.

A lot can happen on the bus.

I dropped him off this morning across the street from where he needed to be. There were already two large groups of kids gathered, hanging out and chatting. See, we live on the elementary school line - so all the kids up in the neighborhood behind us have been together for years. But my son went to a different school. As someone who moved twice during my formative years (in elementary and again in high school), I can attest to how hard it is to work your way into such groups and find acceptance. So I watched with bated breath as he crossed the street and walked up to the group of boys. One boy seemed to turn and walk away as he talked to him. My heart sank. Others crowded in front of him as the bus arrived, ensuring he was the last to get on it. And it was crowded.

I spent the next two hours worried about how he felt as he walked down the bus aisle - did he find a seat? Was everyone staring at him? Did he get teased? Did he make a friend? (I may have had too many visions of Sixteen Candles in my head.)

Would he fit in? Would he have any friends in homeroom? Would he remember his class schedule? Would he fumble with his locker combination? Did I prepare him enough? Would he be confident?

When I picked him up this afternoon he was... fine. Of course he was! He told me that "kids swear a lot on the bus" and that "Miley Cyrus is the big gossip right now." And that was that [with eyeroll to all my questions].

Sounds like he'll fit right in.