Help your child become more independent

My first day of middle school stands out clearly in my mind. My family had just moved from the city to a farm. I scanned the gymnasium full of blue jeans and brown-sack lunches, and I suddenly felt awkward in my Raggedy Ann jumper and holding my bright orange lunch box. If the most important rule of middle school is "don't stick out," then my middle-school days had obviously gotten off to a bad start.

A child's promotion into middle school often precipitates a season fraught with fear. Kids may worry about getting lost in a bigger building, sitting alone in the cafeteria, not finding friends or carrying a heavier academic load.  read more