When the Season Shifts

Shortly after I shared that Jack was having a great transition to middle school, it felt like everything shifted overnight. His behaviors spiked. His manipulation skills multiplied. The wins felt fewer, and the losses stacked quickly. He misses his old school. He misses his familiar classroom, his teachers, his paras…and all of it is showing up in a rocky transition.

It’s almost like clockwork. Any new season for Jack…new school year, new teacher, new routine, takes him longer to adjust. I’ve realized there’s a parallel here with my own heart: how I trust people, how I brace myself for unknowns, how I move through change. That’s probably a whole chapter for another book someday. But what I keep learning, over and over again, is that patience, trust, and surrender aren’t optional parts of parenting; they’re essential to surviving the newness of every season.

And I have to remind myself of that. I have to quiet the thoughts that whisper I’m failing him. I have to remember that his success isn’t meant to rest on my shoulders alone. It was never supposed to. I can love him deeply without being the only one who carries him.

This is where community becomes a gift.

The people who know what “the extra” feels like. The ones who see a hard season brewing before I even have the words for it. The friends who say, “I know how you’re feeling,” or “This too shall pass,” and you actually believe them because they’ve walked it. The ones who remind you of truth when your instinct is to react out of fear, frustration, or exhaustion.

My husband and I have been trying to anchor ourselves with a simple question: What does the situation need?

Not what my emotions want.
Not what my fears shout.
Not what guilt or pressure tell me to fix.
Just… what does this specific moment need?

And so I’ve been asking myself:

What have I learned on this journey that I know to be true and helpful?

What thoughts am I entertaining that are not helpful?

What do I know about Jack…really know about his resilience, his grit, his ability to rise?

What can I do right now to show up as the mom he needs in this season?

What does he need to learn, stretch into, or be responsible for during this transition?

Who can I ask for help?

And maybe just as importantly… who do I need to release, because they’re not able to support him well right now?

If you’re in a hard season…whether it’s parenting, relationships, work, or something you don’t even have words for yet, I hope you feel less alone reading this. Transitions are messy. Growth is uncomfortable. And sometimes the bravest thing we can do is simply acknowledge, “This is hard right now. But it won’t always be.”

We’re learning. We’re adjusting. We’re showing up.

And in this season, that’s enough.