The Growing Pains of HS

Thirteen-hour days. That’s what high school looks like now—longer than most adults work. Our daughter had a personal goal: to make the Varsity team as a freshman. We supported her, cheered her on, and she did it. But what I didn’t realize was that it came with fine print no one mentioned: thirteen-hour school days, missed classes for away matches, and late nights cramming homework.

And that’s just sports. Add in ASB activities, overnight camps, and even “Senior Sunrise,” which apparently assisting with the set-up requires being at school at 3 a.m.—who signs parents up for this? Where were the disclosures? Is there a handbook we somehow missed?

The Growing Pains of HS

Here’s the truth: sometimes I feel uneasy with her schedule so much so that I’ve even given her a hard time, like it’s her fault she’s navigating this whirlwind. Then the guilt kicks in, and I find myself apologizing, reminding her—and myself—that my frustration is about the change, not about her.

Because growing pains? They’re real. They’re messy and they don’t come with a warning label.

So maybe this is what the high school years are about—learning, shifting, stretching, and letting go, even when we’re not ready. Were we supposed to be prepared? Probably not. And maybe that’s the point.