The realities of my daughter hitting puberty have hit me hard this last year.
She has always been ahead of her class - even in a really smart class. But, she has also been a rule follower with a style of her own.
She entered seventh grade this year, which is the first year of middle school. She is always a little younger than others since she has a summer birthday. However, there are boys with beard stubble so they must have been held back. There are quite a few girls that are pregnant and most are sexually active.
We have always had her learning other things than what school offers. She is in advanced classes and truly loved middle school due to the "ability grouping" and of course, music classes.
I have held fast to advancing grades and now I am so glad. If she were any younger, this would be way too tough for her. She is old enough to think choices through. I still worry about her choices. She disagrees with me a lot, which is normal.
The best thing we have accomplished is to expect good grades. We have always made her complete her homework and told her that any bonus questions were for her. She still follows these expectations. She is also expected to participate in two clubs and she won first place in science fair (so we get to go to state) and is on the yearbook committee. I made her be in this since they use computer programs and I think she will take this through high school.
Use your influence (while you still have it) to set standards. These are what takes precedence once puberty hits. Due to all the experiences and extra learning, she has a very large knowledge base and vocabulary.
High school is usually fairly flexible with college courses and other outlets. I am more worried about middle school.
