upper school party

since wyatt has moved up to 4th grade, he is now grouped as upper school which consists of 4th-8th graders (yes my baby is now with 8th graders!). last week we attended the traditional back-to-school bash for the group. let me just say it was a very eye-opening experience. gone are the days of wild toddlers running about without a care or purpose bouncing off of each other like they were balls in a pinball game, common boo-boos needing tending to, or little calls to parents to come play or lend a hand on swings or in sandboxes. now are the times of sitting in hot tubs with groups of preteens chatting for hours about LIFE and the worries they face, playing challenging games with their friends to win prized homework passes (wyatt was THRILLED to receive 3), and i am shocked to even say it, but i did see many a classmate with UNDERARM HAIR (thank goodness wyatt is no where near that at least!). talk amongst parents ranged from plans to discuss "the birds and the bees" and what my plan is (uhhhhh...) to their summer experience while their child was away up north at camp (SLEEPAWAY CAMP that is---we have never even done a sleepover, never mind a camp for weeks!!!!). where did talk of potty training and discussions of baby milestones go? where the worry of raising a young child is gone, a sense of sadness of how quickly it has all flew by replaces. though, his eyes still hold the wonder he had as a baby and his smile is still just as a happy. to end the whole affair, i was brought back to realizing that even though he is growing up, he still does need me..."mommy" he asked coming up to me dripping from the pool, "can you come in the bathroom and help me change out of these wet clothes before we leave?" of course.