I don't think it is because people actually detest middle schoolers themselves; i think it is because most of us do not look back on that time in our lives with joy and peace. Instead, the term "preteen" conjures up memories of The Mean Girls, being rejected at least once by the first (and second? third?) person we thought we wanted to marry, and that teacher who would give US detention when it was really someone ELSE who passed the note. For most of us, middle school was not fun.
Then. But, it is fun for me now. Coming up on 12 years as a volunteer, it has been unbelievable fun, along with every other emotion i have ever felt in my life. It is so encompassing, in fact, i had to make a list. And, since Middle School has the word "school" in it, i'm making it alphabetical.
How i would describe 678, aka WXW, aka middle school
Awesome (you thought i was going to say Awkward, didn't you? that's sort of assumed in all of these....)
Boy craziness
Candy/Caffeine-induced maniacs.
Drama We're talking D R A M A. OH - and Dance parties.
Emotional roller coasters that sometimes stop suddenly for squirrels.
FRIENDS. i mean Foes. Wait - i meant, friends...wait, now...
Girltalk for the girls. Gas for the boys (not that the girls don't have some contenders)
Heartbreak. Sometimes it's the rejection thing. Sometimes it is losing a friend. Sometimes, it is just life - - because life can be hard, even as a kid. And, sometimes, it all happens at once, and they are put in the situation of handling adult-type problems with barely a decade of life's experience under their belt - remember how sucky THAT was?
Imagination: Take 20 students, add a pile of anything, make it a competition - and, their freaky little brains will amaze you.
Joy. Theirs, which is contagious - - it is close to impossible to be cranky in a room full of pre-teens laughing or singing worship songs...
Kids. Or, young adults? It depends who you ask. In one day, they can be asked to babysit, given a new toy, told they need to step it up in school, eat a sandwich that someone cut into fourths for them, wash a car, and, on the rare and dreaded occasion, be subjected to some adult wiping their face off with a spit-dampened kleenex. No wonder they're so confused.
Lip gloss. Love. Licorice. Loud. Lovable. Loving. Laughing. Loved.
Mercy...not often associated with this age group, but they are often amazing at it. Examples: a shy 7th-grade boy letting a blind 4 year old spend 30 minutes touching his hair, just because the little one liked the feel of it; an 8th grade girl holding a paintbrush in the hand of a non-responsive child in a wheelchair, patiently helping her paint and encouragingly talking with her the entire time, receiving nothing in return. It IS possible for the boy who can burp the loudest on the bus to get off that same bus and hold an old lady's hand to pray with her. They are like little angelic souls wrapped in sticky, messy, sugar-filled bodies.
NO! - the answer most boys will give when you ask them, "You like her, huh?"
Odoriferous. While that may SOUND pleasant, it is not always so much so...sometimes there is an incredible abundance of Axe; sometimes there is an incredible LACK of an abundance of Axe.
Puke and poofetti, the latter of which is what you get when you combine a toilet, a canister of confetti (Why? per the first culprit, "have you ever just done something because you've wondered What Would Happen?") and poop (again, WHY? per the second culprit, "because i just had to GO!")
Quiet (HA! just testing to see if anyone is still reading this) Although, there ARE the quiet ones...and, they are watching EVERYTHING that is going on around them. If you want to know who left a half-eaten, chewed-up Airhead on the ping pong table, just ask the quiet ones - - they'll know.
Rascally Random. Example; Teacher: "So, that is why we are to love our neighbors. Any questions?" Student: "One time, when we were getting tacos, there was a dog in the parking lot and he totally almost sat on my sister's taco."
Secrets and sleep-deprivation - - both of which can be found in abundance at any camp or overnight event. "Savages" barely missed the list.
Texting...during the lesson...and in small group....and at the game....and in the bathroom....and....
Untidy. This one wins for the biggest understatement.
Violent sneezing. i don't know why. (and, yes - VIDEOGAMES!!!)
Wait - What? (often said mid-laugh, when they realize they don't actually get the joke)
Xtreme (you have to spell it this way, or it's not really Xtreme)
Yelllllllllllllinnnnnnnnnnnnggggggggggggggggggggg! (hopefully, not AT them....)
Zoo animals (combine C, O and P, above)
The truth is that i can't handle middle schoolers, any more than i can handle Disneyland or the beach or anything else that contains that much awesomeness in one place. i can't handle them, but i can be amazed by them and blessed by them, and i can love them as much as ice cream and baby animals and yoda and snoopy all put together...poofetti and all.
