They say if your friends are with you for seven years, they are your friends for a lifetime.
What a wonderful thought...
But as we all know, situations change (moving, the times) people (interest, attitude), feelings change....
I mean I can't remember half the people from middle school if they walked by me (Thank you facebook). Even then , you don't fully remember. Maybe a feeling sparks or a brief memory placed in time comes to you....Faces sending flashes of sparks to old brain cells. The old adage, I'm going to paraphrase...
You never remember what others did, but you always remember how they made you feel.
Middle school opens the floodgates of hormones and emotions. A mix that can be volatile if not handled with care. Figuring yourself out, finding your social groups, finding yourself ( I know what I did ). That's a whole lot of stuff going on at once. And all you want more than anything in the this world, is to be accepted through your mess......
Some adults are still recovering from that...
Think about that time in middle school that devastated you ? Did you recover? How did it shape you? Did you feel alone?
Your child is having that moment right now.....go to them, make yourself available. But also realize they will come when they are ready....
Be the lantern you needed in that moment of vulnerability.
In conclusion:
Like you did/do...your child just wants to be liked/loved and accepted. They just show it in a loud/quiet emotional/hormonal way. Be honest, open, and available.....and I know...they will like you....eventually (LOL).
"Any and everything you do, do it with passion and grit. Find your passion and get to it"