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Old 04-08-2007, 01:22 PM
 
189 posts, read 797,255 times
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How is it for the children making friends when they are in elementary school and middle school? Our oldest is 13 and is worried about making the move.
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Old 04-08-2007, 01:33 PM
 
Location: Apex, NC
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My son is in the 6th grade. Through 5th grade, the teachers seemed to make sure that a new child had someone to show them around the first few days. From what my son tells me, the new children adjusted well in school.
I am not sure how it works in middle school....What might help is that many children in middle school are changing schools this year due to re-districting. So if you are moving by the start of the new school year, your 13 yr old might do just fine!
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Old 04-08-2007, 02:50 PM
 
Location: Austin TX
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That is a difficult age to make friends at. Some years ago when I went to a new school at the end of a seventh grade school year, the vice-principal hand picked a girl to show me around. I realized later that she had a good feel for my personality b/c she picked a girl who had the exact group of friends I would have naturally gravitated towards. I had the same experience again when I switched to a different high school. A girl who was very compatible with me was asked to show me around. All this to say that perhaps it would be valuable to request a friendly student with similar interests to your son as his guide to get him started socially
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Old 04-08-2007, 04:15 PM
 
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My son attends Riverdell Elementary. He's in 3rd grade and he made fast friends. Too many friends, I think! LOL
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Old 04-08-2007, 04:24 PM
 
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Middle school is Lord of the Flies. Think twice before you move.
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Old 04-08-2007, 04:26 PM
 
Location: Wake Forest
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pad3 View Post
How is it for the children making friends when they are in elementary school and middle school? Our oldest is 13 and is worried about making the move.
This is one area I can set your mind at ease. The kids down here are friendly. So many of them have made the move before they've been in your child's shoes. Even those that haven't moved are used to new kids coming in weekly...and are friends with them (heck, natives can be a bit outnumbered if they didn't!)

Heck, it's not uncommon for a new kid (especially girls) to be invited to birthday parties the first few weeks they arrive if they show up in the middle of the year.

Have your kids work on their friendship skills (which I am sure they already have but a bit of a review never hurts), and they are going to have so many friends it's going to drive you nuts with all the social functions!
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Old 04-08-2007, 04:29 PM
 
Location: Wake Forest
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Originally Posted by HookEmHorns View Post
Middle school is Lord of the Flies. Think twice before you move.
Oh knock it off. Yes, middle school has some unique challenges for the kids....they aren't little kids anymore, but they aren't quite ready for teen responsibilities......but no, it's not Lord of the Flies by any means.

I have been nothing but pleased with the kids down here....no, they aren't all perfect and there are some that are headed down the wrong road...but from the day my daughter started school to her starting middle school in downtown, there have been great friends for her to make and positive roll models among the older teens.
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Old 04-08-2007, 05:26 PM
 
189 posts, read 797,255 times
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Originally Posted by Desdemona123 View Post
Oh knock it off. Yes, middle school has some unique challenges for the kids....they aren't little kids anymore, but they aren't quite ready for teen responsibilities......but no, it's not Lord of the Flies by any means.

I have been nothing but pleased with the kids down here....no, they aren't all perfect and there are some that are headed down the wrong road...but from the day my daughter started school to her starting middle school in downtown, there have been great friends for her to make and positive roll models among the older teens.
Desdemona123,

Thank you for the positive outlook. I'm not sure what the other member was referring to with Lord of the Flies. There is no perfect scenario when it comes to kids, you are always going to have many different pieces of the puzzle in the mix. I was just wondering how other families that relocated adapted with new friends for their children. My children our very personable, outgoing, polite, good students and love sports. They are just concerned with how the Southerners will accept them with their Long Island accent and I think it is a normal reaction to worry about being accepted and making new friends.
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Old 04-08-2007, 05:32 PM
 
193 posts, read 245,363 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Desdemona123 View Post
Oh knock it off. Yes, middle school has some unique challenges for the kids....they aren't little kids anymore, but they aren't quite ready for teen responsibilities......but no, it's not Lord of the Flies by any means.
How long ago was it that you were in middle school? Okay, maybe Lord of the Flies was ana exaggeration. Have you seen Mean Girls?
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Old 04-08-2007, 05:45 PM
 
Location: Wake Forest
3,124 posts, read 12,667,896 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pad3 View Post
Desdemona123,

Thank you for the positive outlook. I'm not sure what the other member was referring to with Lord of the Flies. There is no perfect scenario when it comes to kids, you are always going to have many different pieces of the puzzle in the mix. I was just wondering how other families that relocated adapted with new friends for their children. My children our very personable, outgoing, polite, good students and love sports. They are just concerned with how the Southerners will accept them with their Long Island accent and I think it is a normal reaction to worry about being accepted and making new friends.
The Lord of the Flies is a classic novel about what happens when a group of young teen boys are left stranded on an island and left to fend for themselves. It's meant to be allegorical for the extremes of adult society...and well...middle school can be a bit harsh at times, with rigid social constructs. But I am afraid the poster has mistook a novel written in the 1954 for the reality of modern day.

Now, back to the topic.....Don't worry about the accent...really...there are going to be at least 4 other kids with the same accent in their class.

We've been down here a few years...and yes, my daughter has picked up a slight accent (Northern Ohio tends to have that very 'newscaster neutral' tone)....but the thing is...it's a mix of Southern drawl, Long Island twang and Cuban swing because that is where it's turned out most of her closest friends are from!

When we first moved everyone told me how bad it was for new kids down south...how they weren't going to accept her...etc etc etc. Well, it may be that way still in rural areas...but the Triangle is not that way.

Your kids will make friends. The fact that they are into sports will make it only that much easier.
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