I went to high school today for a minute to get some information for our foreign exchange student.
It was weird.
I didn’t know where to go, having never been to this particular high school. I didn’t know if I was allowed to be there, allowed to park in that spot, allowed to just show up, allowed to wear flip flops for crying out loud! Anxiety! Was I that nervous when I went to high school for realsies the first time?
There were some kids playing a mixture of lacrosse and frisbee in the parking lot with no adult supervision. (I guess in the last week of school, you can do whatever you want? Even play a game that makes no logical sense right in a parking lot that is next to a giant green field, a very logical place to play?) I drove by them twice, trying to figure out on my own where to go in that most unhelpful, unlabeled building.
Finally, I stopped and asked the nicest looking one for some help. She gave me directions very nicely. Nothing horrible happened.
But I was still nervous!
High school is a different world! All those self conscious feelings of ‘will they think I’m weird and are they cooler than me?’ came back in a flood. I remember very clearly now: high school is tough! Even for people who have almost, but not yet, reached their 10 year reunion mark! Just watch that totally realistic high school movie, Never Been Kissed, and you’ll know what I’m talking about.
How is my German child going to fit in? I’m so worried. She’s probably a lot more resilient than me. She is, after all, leaving her entire family, culture and way of being for an entire year to live with 2 people who have almost, but not yet, reached their 10 year reunion mark.
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I checked out of High School my junior year. My freshman year of college was so disappointing, I actually expected people to be grown up. Somehow I forgot that kids go straight from high school to the dorms. Yuck. I only lasted two months there because of the whole high school mentality. I would never, ever do it again.
Maybe you should volunteer at the hight school next year to get a feel of what it is like there. It might help you understand the environment and be able to ask meaningful questions to your new child. I always said when I got older and had time I would volunteer at the school my children went to. I didn’t know that getting older meant being more tired and achy and old. I liked what you said about your visit. It appears we never outgrow anxiety of new experiences.
i love you becca. that is so hilarious but not really, if you were feeling anxiety …i would too. h.s. IS tough and scary and i would NEVER want to do it again actually. i bet caro will do great …what a worried cute little mom you are!
My oldest starts high school next year… I am breaking out and getting frizzy hair just thinking about it.
What an exciting adventure you are going to have. My husbands family had a German exchange student live with them all through out high school and then he ended up coming back to stay for college and is very much apart of the family even 10 years later.