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<p>My son has entered middle school.</p><p>That sounds like a statement for a self-help group.</p><p>&#8220;Hello, my name is Eileen. I am a parent of a middle school student.&#8221;</p><p>Those without children won&#8217;t understand this but those who have guided children through middle school know the strife my husband and I will soon face.</p><p>Our easy-going son, Nick, will develop the &#8220;know-it-all&#8221; attitude, the struggle to &#8220;find yourself,&#8221; insecurities and &#8220;horrible-mones&#8221; (otherwise know as hormones). Oh, the list goes on and on.</p><p>Nick is a good kid with a great sense of humor. He remembers his &#8220;pleases and thank yous.&#8221; He cleans the table when he&#8217;s finished eating. He&#8217;s well behaved and gets along with others. He also has a lot of friends already in middle school and many more moving into sixth grade with him.</p><p>I&#8217;d say Eric and I have done a good job of parenting.</p><p>But middle school is unfamiliar ground for the three of us.</p><p>As that first day of school edged closer and closer, I saw more apprehension than confidence behind Nick&#8217;s big blue eyes.</p><p>I was thrilled when our school district held an Orientation Night to meet the teachers, pick up class schedules and get locker assignments.</p><p>I thought the event would calm Nick&#8217;s fears and help Eric and I prepare him for what is to come.</p><p>The principal introduced himself and showed some humorous videos; one was a sixth-grader explaining how it&#8217;s OK to be nervous about starting middle school, but after completing her sixth-grade year found the experience to be fun.</p><p>One of the important lessons for the kids to learn from this video is to do your homework, be yourself and wear deodorant. (I&#8217;m not kidding.)</p><p>The second video was more for us parents.</p><p>It showed a mother duck escorting her ducklings across a paved walkway on a windy day. Every gust of wind sent the ducklings tumbling every which way. But the mother duck re-grouped them and continued.</p><p>The lesson: our kiddos will face many challenges in middle school; they will get distracted and fall off course, but the school administration and parents will work together to keep them on track.</p><p>After sharing some laughs, the large group of attendees was dismissed to visit classrooms, practice their lockers and find their way around the building.</p><p>Nick eagerly went to get his locker assignment and combination, a big area of concern for him. He found his locker and made his first attempt to unlock it.</p><p>Eric and I stepped aside.</p><p>First time - no luck. Second, third, fourth, fifth times - still no luck.</p><p>Nick&#8217;s frustration was building and I could see anxiety on his face. Eric stepped in to demonstrate the precision needed for the combination lock.</p><p>An upperclassman came to assist.</p><p>Nick finally got the locker open on his own. Shut it and try again. Nope. The whole process started all over.</p><p>I&#8217;m a problem solver by nature. I&#8217;m never willing to accept that something is impossible, but rather I need to see a problem from a different angle to find the solution. So I&#8217;m watching Nick, wondering if there is a way the school can disengage the locker&#8217;s lock and I&#8217;ll bring a different lock from home for him to use.</p><p>Then, the video of the mother duck came to mind. I can&#8217;t solve this problem for him.</p><p>He needs to figure it out.</p><p>I realized then that I resembled that mother duck.</p><p>Since Nick was born, I&#8217;ve had my wings spread around him in protection.</p><p>I can&#8217;t do that anymore. He&#8217;s has grown too big for me to protect and shelter from the world.</p><p>Now I have to lift him up for the wind to get under his little wings. It&#8217;s time for him to learn to fly.</p><p>He will fall. The wind gust will stop. Eric and I will be there to catch him and hold him up again and again. Until one day, when he is an adult, educated and starting a career &#8212; then he&#8217;ll soar on his own.</p><p>Until then we have a lot to master, including that blasted locker.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Nick Godin was bound and determined to conquer his locker before the start of middle school. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/web1_20160826_090801.jpg</photo0><caption0>Nick Godin was bound and determined to conquer his locker before the start of middle school. </caption0><photoCredit0>Eileen Godin | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/web1_20160826_091231_001.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">The locker lesson taught Nick that success comes from not giving up. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/web1_20160826_091231_001.jpg</photo1><caption1>The locker lesson taught Nick that success comes from not giving up. </caption1><photoCredit1>Eileen Godin | Times Leader </photoCredit1></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Eileen Godin</p><p>egodin@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Eileen Godin at 570-991-6387 or on Twitter @TLNews.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Beyond the Byline: Learning to fly in middle school