join in

About half of the school year has gone by. Have you joined any clubs or sports or activities? It's a good time to try something new. You know, new year, new club, new sport... Did you make a resolution to make more friends? Check if your school's having a play and try out for a part or help with the stage crew plus they'll need scene builders and artists. Are there winter or spring intramurals you could try? What about chorus? Are you killer at rock band? Maybe you can learn to play an actual instrument with actual music. That would be cool. Look around and see if there's anything to try. Maybe you could start an anime club or a fashion club. New year, new club, new friends.

purple pants?

Can you picture a really tall 8th grade boy who came to school wearing bright purple skinny jeans? He's also wearing a black and white belt, bright yellow t-shirt with green swirls and his shoes match the shirt... Is this a fashion forward guy setting trends or an unfortunate fashion failure who should return that outfit to the store?
Picture a girl who is wearing a brand new sweater dress that's cute but too small for her body so she looks kind of lumpy even though she's not?
This time of year is like a fashion show at school. We get to see all kinds new and unique outfits - some cool, some scary, some hilarious. Lots of kids (and teachers) get clothes for Christmas and other holidays then can't wait to wear the new stuff to school. Look around this week. See if you agree with the fashion risks some kids are willing to take. Maybe you're trying out some new fashion looks, too. Have fun with your clothes and be nice to that kid in the purple pants by not singing Barney the dinosaur songs. Who knows, the purple thing might catch on and we'll all be wearing them next year!

holiday parties

Are you looking forward to spending quality time away from school? Are you ready for some parties? Will your family parties be fun or dull? Are your friends having any parties you can look forward to? It's time to think about how to handle yourself at these parties. With a little preparation, you'll be able to survive nosey questions from Aunt Lisa and Uncle Dave's same old jokes. What will you do when you're not eating turkey or pie? Are you interesting? Do you have any funny stories to tell? Will you be forced to play with the little kids? What if you're the littlest kid in the house and they still treat you like you're 8?
Calm down. I don't want to put you into panic mode. Let's start with family parties. You probably know everyone at the party so you don't have to worry about impressing new people. What will you talk about? It's ok to plan ahead and think of a funny story to tell when someone asks you what's going on at school. Maybe you're trying out for a winter sport or the spring musical. You could talk about tryouts and what kind of stuff you had to do. think of details that make your stories interesting to adults. Tell about difficult drills or funny things the coach does if a kid does something wrong. Try asking questions, too. You don't always have to be the one answering stuff. Ask your Uncle if he played any school sports? Did they have cuts? Did they have to wear those crazy short-shorts with tall socks? Did they do any of the same drills that you're learning now?
If you're not into sports then maybe you have another fun activity you like to do. Can you bring along your bead box or favorite scrap book? Show your family something about yourself and dont' forget to ask about their interests, too. did they vote for the President? Did they feel happy or sad about the winners? Why, exactly do they have that opinion and do you agree?

One thing I don't want you to do at the parties is.... text. Be at the party. Be fun and talk to the people at the party. Do not sit in the corner and text. It's boring. It makes you look like you don't like anyone at the party. Ok, maybe you don't like anyone at the party. fake it. stay off your phone and get to know the people around you.
Have some more pie!

they hate it

You're just hangin out listening to some music. Music you like. You feel great.

Parent: turn that down. It's too loud.
You: I'm just listening to music.
Parent: I shouldn't be able to hear it through your headphones. Now turn it down.
You: OK. FINE. Now I can't even listen to good music!
Parent: That's not good music. It's just crap with kids screaming.
You: This is the best music ever. It's a lot better than your stupid music from ancient times!
Parent: What? My music is still great today. You have no idea what good music is.
You: Right, on the OLDIES stations. Do you even know any of the artists I like?
Parent: um, Carrie Underwood?
You: NO
Parent: ok, Aerosmith?
You: eeeewwwwwhhhh. No.
Parent: ok, then who do you think is so great?
You: (it doesn't matter what you say here unless your parent watches MTV with you, she will probably not know your music at all and thus, HATES it.)
Parent: well, what's the song about?
You: falling in love.
Parent: Why are you listening to that? You're too young to date and fall in love anyway.
You: You can't be serious!

This conversation has been taking place for a long, long time. Parents hate their kids' music. It's kind of a rule of nature. Parents hated Elvis when teenagers thought he was awesome. His dancing was way too sexual. Parents hated Chubby Checker because his music was too sexually suggestive. Parents despised the Beatles with their LONG HAIR and crazy romantic songs. They hated AC/DC, Kiss, Rolling Stones, Jackson 5, Rap. When RUN DMC started rapping parents thought it was ridiculous talking that was so stupid it would be gone in 5 minutes. They were so wrong. I could go on naming new kinds of music and parents who hated it. Yes, they hated it all.
It's just how things are in this world. Next time your parents start getting mad about your music, try turning the conversation around. Ask what your dad listened to when he was a teenager? Did his dad like it? What about your grandpa? Ask him what he listened to and if HIS dad liked it? Listen to what you like and if it's too loud, just turn it down for a while but keep listening. Remember this conversation when you're the parent! Rock on!

why homecoming?

What's homecoming all about, you ask? Well let's break down the word... in reverse order. coming home. That's the point. Your school is welcoming the old people who have already graduated to come home. visit. see old friends, like the 1978 state soccer champions. The graduates could be out of school just one year or lots and lots of years. The idea is to see friends, check out what's new at the school, maybe even see some old teachers. Some schools have a festival and parade and even crown a king and queen. Kids in school make posters to advertise the candidates for king and queen then vote for the winners, who are announced during a sporting event. it's usually football but there's no law about that. Each school makes it's own traditions. Think of it as a big school reunion. You should go. Eat. Smile. Bring confetti. Laugh with your friends. Watch the oldsters laugh, too. Then come back to your home after you graduate. Be an oldster. Watch the kids play. Remember the fun you had back in the day.

clips and polish

Check the guys from tokio hotel. see nail polish? unusual hair?
Middle school students like to experiment. On themselves.
Office supplies as jewelry. Nail polish on boys. New hair colors. Black lip gloss. New kinds of outfits.
I say go for it. There are not a lot of adults who can go to work wearing paper clip earrings. Not many business men can wear purple nail polish to their meetings. American workers are not encouraged to have orange blue and green stripes in their hair. Generally shades of red and pink lip gloss are accepted, but only on the ladies.
Middle school is about the only time in our lives when we can test these things. It's all part of deciding who you are and who you want to become. Kids will let you know if your experiment is a success or a failure. Your teachers may have some input there, too. Yeah and parents might not like all the experiments either. trying on different clothes and accessories helps you decide what you actually like. It might be different from what everyone else likes right now. Each school has limits about exposed skin and "disruptive clothing that interferes with the learning process" but it's perfectly natural to want to try out other looks for yourself. If you can't dress the way you want to at school, then wait for nights and weekends. I don't want you to get suspended for disobeying the rules. Also, next time you see a kid wearing something unusual and interesting, let it go. He's just expressing his inner scientist or rock star or dancer.