I don’t know what it is about this year, but July feels… big.
Not in a dramatic, everything is changing overnight kind of way.
More like a quiet, steady shift that I can feel coming whether I’m ready or not.
My middle two are turning 10 and 11.
Which already feels strange to say out loud.
Double digits for both of them. No more single numbers. No more “little little” kids.
They’re right in that in-between stage now.
Not tiny. Not teenagers. Just… figuring themselves out in their own ways.
And alongside that, my 11 year old is getting ready to start high school.
And that feels big in a completely different way.
She’s not just any 11 year old starting high school.
She’s my 11 year old.
With ADHD. With autism. With her own way of seeing the world, processing things, and navigating situations that don’t always feel built for her.
And I won’t lie, that adds a layer to all of this.
Because while there’s excitement, there’s also the “what ifs.”
Will she settle in okay?
Will she find her people?
Will she be understood?
Will she be supported in the way she needs?
It’s that mix of knowing how capable she is, while also knowing the world doesn’t always meet her halfway.
But then there’s the other side of it.
The part where I look at her and think… you’re ready in your own way.
Maybe not in the same way everyone expects.
But in a way that is completely hers.
She’s strong. She’s funny. She sees things differently, and honestly, that’s one of the things I love most about her.
She notices things other people don’t.
She feels things deeply.
She questions things that others just accept.
And while that can make things harder sometimes, it also makes her exactly who she is.
And I wouldn’t change that.
The idea of high school still feels huge.
New routines. New expectations. New environment.
More independence.
Less control for me, which I’m pretending I’m fine with.
But I’m not quite there yet with all of them.
Because I still have one single digit left.
She’s 7.
Still properly little. Still very much in that stage of cuddles, chaos and needing me for everything.
And I think I’m holding onto that just a bit tighter right now.
Because while everything else is shifting forward…
She’s my reminder that not all of it has to happen at once.
That there’s still a bit of “little” left in the middle of all this growing up.
July just feels like one of those moments where you pause for a second and realise…
Things are changing.
They’re growing.
And whether I feel ready or not… we’re moving into the next stage.
Together.
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