Middle School…just the words dredge up memories. Okay, for me it was junior high, middle school came to our community when I was in high school. Anyway, those awkward pre-teen years are filled with nicknames, mean girls, crushes, first loves and embarrassment.
I know all of that full well. I walked into junior high very different than I left elementary school. During that summer I got glasses, braces on my teeth…and a backbrace. I had scoliosis, curved spine, and I had to wear a brace that went from my hips to my chin. The brace was worn under my clothes-but it meant I had to buy clothes 2-3 sizes larger than my petite frame required. Most of the first year I wore my brace 23 hours a day. I got one hour off to do physical therapy and take a shower.
In school the boys called me “Weebles” because as I walked down the hall, the neck part of my brace sort of wobbled from side to side. The other nickname was “Nuts and Bolts” because the part of the brace that was visible was all metal and screws, except for a plastic chin plate. Those years were difficult for me, but I had an awesome best friend, Kim, who was there for me every step of the way.
Like each of you, I survived junior high. I discovered my love for acting-because I could escape and be anyone but myself. At junior high graduation, the boys who taunted me for 3 years-presented me with a bag of nuts and bolts. I knew at that moment that everything was ok. I had more than survived junior high, I had grown as a person. My mom always told me, “They only pick on you because they like you.” I don’t think that was 100% true but it did help me get through a very awkward time in my life.
If you have a middle schooler or know a middle schooler-I want to tell you about a great book. Chicken Soup for the Soul: Teens Talk Middle School: 101 Stories of Life, Love, and Learning for Younger Teens
In the vein of all of the Chicken Soup for the Soul books, it is a collection of essays written by various authors. This particualr book has some pre-teen and teen authors as well as adults. It is a fun and enlightening collection of stories broken down into categories like: True Friend and New Friends, Mean Girls and Boys, Embarrassing Moments, That’s My Family and Doing What’s Right. The awesome people from Chicken Soup for the soul have given me a copy of Chicken Soup for the Soul: Teens Talk Middle School: 101 Stories of Life, Love, and Learning for Younger Teens
to give away to one of my Mom Maven readers.
How to Enter:
For your first entry: In your comment tell me 1 thing that made your middle school years awkward or embarrassing. You must also follow or subscribe to this blog and leave a comment here telling me that you have done this Please leave a valid e-mail address or twitter name so that I can notify if you win. **You must do all of this to be entered.
If you would like extra entries you can earn them for doing any or all of the following:
* tweet this contest and post the url of the tweet as a separate comment (you can do this 1x per day each day of the contest-just post each tweet url in a separate comment)
* blog about this contest and link to this post (not just a link to the contest) then leave me a link to your post in a separate comment
* stumble this post with a review and link it here in separate comment
The winner will be chosen on Thursday, March 19th at 10:00pm. Good Luck!!
I just became a follower and my twitter name is @multitaskingme. I have two middle schoolers so this would be great 🙂
On to my story- I had glasses, braces and was a total nerd. Middle school years were painful! I’m always amazed at how well my kids handle it compared to how I felt.
Thanks for the giveaway!
What a great contest! My middle school years were tortured by a boy that I tattled on in the 5th grade. He never forgot and stomped on my book bag, called me names and made my life miserable whenever he could! I have a middle school daughter who is being teased and picked on by boys as we speak. I don’t think much has changed. I’ve followed you and my twitter name is BestBride.
I think for me in Jr. High, was my hair. I have naturally curly hair and back then I didnt know how to take care of it. It was always brushed! and frizzy. Oh the hairstyles with the high bangs then made it even worse. lol. I hate any pictures from then.
This book would be great for my now 6th grader 🙂
I am a follower. An awkward moment for me in middle school was going through puberty. It just made me feel like I was the only girl going through it and always felt like everyone knew when I was on my period.
tamben7996(at)aol(dot)com
I would be interested in this for my grandchildren. Thanks for that opportunity.
dianad8008 AT gmail DOT com
My brother made my middle school years embarrassing lol.
My brother made my middle school years embarrassing lol.
I’ll have to watch for this book for my middle school aged daughter. She does love to read and anything could help during this important and often times tough stage of growing up.
Rebecca