Can't believe it's been so long since I've posted, but here we are.. AJ is 14 and starting High School. I thought since this is such a huge deal, and he's changed so much, that I'd try to start blogging again. I'm not sure I'll ever be able to go back and catch up on all the years that have passed- but I can at least post about where things are now.
During Middle School, at ACS, AJ had a challenging time for many reasons. He didn't enjoy school very much- especially in 8th grade. He had friends, but lacked confidence and therefore didn't do well in classes and really seemed like he didn't care. It felt like we were constantly fighting him to do his work- do it well, and just try to get passing grades. For reasons I'm not entirely sure of, his struggled with his main group of friends and found a new group to hang out with who he really seemed to enjoy and who accepted him. That first group didn't like that and gave him a lot of grief which was hard on him- a lot harder than we knew. Looking back, I wish I'd have paid more attention to that- though, I'm not sure what I could have done about it to be honest. I just hoped he could be stronger and stand up to the kids who were giving him a hard time- we had many talks about it and tried to show him how to do it. We were very worried about him. To the point where the teachers called a meeting with us to discuss how different he was that year compared to the years prior- how his grades were so low and seemed not to care about anything. It was tough.
What AJ did have that was great, was track. We had NO IDEA how fast he was until 6th grade when we pretty much forced him to do soccer through the school. He didn't like soccer- which was fine- but he realized how FAST he is. We were all shocked- because he never really did any type of running before so how would we know? He was pretty stoked to get the feedback and praise about his quick feet. On his own, he decided to get into track. He joined the Rec Center track team in the summer and did great! He ran the 100, 200, and the relay. It was fun for him to get out there and meet friends and do the meets on the weekends. Something new to try.
Because of track, he decided to branch out and give football a try. Jason had been trying to get him to do wrestling, but that wasn't his thing. He's really not that aggressive, so I was surprised he'd want to do football, but he was all in. He started playing with the Raptors team- practicing 4 times a week- again meeting new friends and having to listen to the coaches yell at him. He did really well at practice- but got very little play time in the games which was frustrating for him (and us).
A few months ago, I was at happy hour with a friend and she was asking me where AJ was going to High School. I told her he was going to our local HS, Castle View. I just assumed he'd go there. She brought up how she was thinking about sending her daughter to Lutheran HS in Parker and started telling me all the reasons why. It's private, much smaller, the kids get a lot more attention, unlike a bigger school like CV, kids who don't speak up if they need help, don't get lost in the shuffle. And so many other things. As she was telling me about it, I was getting so excited about it. I could see AJ going to LuHi in my head. It seemed like the perfect place for him- so positive- which he needed. Plus, he could play football there, as they don't have any cuts on the team. (I know how bad that might sound, but at the time I wasn't sure if he'd make the team at CV and he didn't need that for his already low confidence).
After A LOT of convincing on both Jason and AJ's end, we went on the school tour, and AJ did a shadow day at LuHi, where he spent an entire day there with a freshman, we decided it was the right fit for him- and I was so excited! It just felt right.
School starts in a month, however, football started a week after 8th grade ended and I can't begin to describe how AJ has already completely changed. He's standing tall. He's happy. He's responsible. He's remembering to do things (not all, but more!). He's excited. The team is currently having practice 2x a day. 6a-9am and then again 6p-8p and not once has he complained about it (other than how sore he is). He wakes himself up, gets ready on his own. He's getting compliments from the coach about his speed- and it builds his confidence. He's even a little cocky, which is so great to see. He's got a bunch of new friends. And he's HUGE! The kid is working out 5 hours a day and he has almost 0 fat on him. He's got a 6 pack, veins popping out of his arms- it's crazy. I look at him and wonder who is this kid?!
I'm so incredibly proud of AJ. I have always been. I'm just so grateful to see him grow into this amazing young man, with confidence, and desire to be better. I'm so hopeful that wanting to please his coaches is going to make him want to work hard in school this year. I truly believe it will.
That's all for now.
